Kikyou
by Jazz7
Summary: Inuyasha betrays Kikyou for the final time, several centuries past and time has stopped on a new age. Billionaire Seto Kaiba accidentally stumbles upon the place where Kikyou eternally rests and sets her free. But in exchange... Yugioh crossover
1. A broken eternal rest

Well I got rid of the old opening to this and am now rewriting the chapter. Along with other first chapters for other fan fiction. My how young and stupid you can be. Wait, why the hell am I putting myself down because a couple of other people might think I'm young and immature! Well screw you if you think that!

Evil Jazz7: Finished? And I think they think your crazy now.

Jazz7: Like I care! I'm just tired of continuously wondering if people like my writing or not. From now on I'll write how I like and and when I like. And if want to include some weird comedy crap at the end and beginning of this then so be it!

Good Jazz7: So were comedy spoofs now? Yay!

Jazz7: Okay so maybe this isn't as good as the writing is. Enjoy Sora getting drunk and my comments on Ansem and everything else like in Kingdom Hearts: Soul Taker. But it will do.

Disclaimer: (talks like a valley girl) Oh my god, I like own them! Wait a minute, I like soooo don't

"Words will be surrounded by these", 'and thoughts by these', but just like in My Will not all thoughts will be surrounded in 'these'.

Oh and I have only seen the horrible English dub(I don't live in Japan and I don't know Japanese.) and I haven't been keeping upwith the episodes, since they're horrible to watch now, so lets just pretend that this takes place when nothings happening or something.

Also I couldn't think about a good title and since it does focus around Kikyou, "Kikyou" will be the title until I can think of anything else. And if some names and places are wrong, that's either for the story line or I can't remember.

Kikyou: Ch 1: A broken eternal rest.

Inuyasha had asked to meet her. Inuyasha had asked her to meet him in order to discuss Naraku's future plans. This was the first time that he had asked to meet again and not her. Kikyou was quite shocked. Not only had he asked her, but he had said it in a gravely serious voice and look. Not like he wasn't serious before, but this time it seemed that he was worried about something.

Maybe Naraku had hatched up something more deadly than before and Inuyasha had faced it or Naraku, or one of his many creations, had gloated about it. It wouldn't have been the first time.

Whatever the case, here she was. Standing by the Bone Eaters Well and waiting for him.

Kikyou looked left and right, wondering where he was. Inuyasha had invited her to meet him, so why wasn't he there to meet her? Had he stood her up? Even suggesting that brought back sad and angry memories about his "betrayal". That and it reminded her of her pervious goal.

Kikyou had done a lot of thinking, a lot of thinking about what she planned to do after Naraku was dead. The question: "Could I live without Inuyasha?" invaded her thoughts many times. Kikyou knew that he had no intention of keeping his promise to die with her so they could go to hell. Even if he thought he meant it, he didn't. Inuyasha had a new chance at life, so did she. Now he had experianced more of the world, had friends, and was even accepted in her village. And Kikyou herself now didn't to be bound my duty to her village. Once Naraku was gone, they could think up a way to destroy the jewel so no one would have to ever be burdened by it ever again.

That would leave just her and Inuyasha. Even if she was dead, even if she wasn't whole, maybe things could work. Maybe this time they could work.

"Kikyou?"

Kikyou looked up at the sound of Inuyasha calling her name. Just him saying her name gave her mixed feelings. Feelings of anger, love, hate,and sadness. Maybe if she could just wish away the anger...

"Inuyasha, I was starting to wonder if you had stood me up." Kikyou replied with a slight smile, making Inuyasha scracth the back of his head.

"Well you see...Kagome and me-and the others-were sort of having a early dinner and-"

"I understand, you still feel like you're sneaking out of the house." Kikyou said, narrowing her eyes at what her former lover had been transformed into. Always worrying about Kagome. Had Kagome or him ever heard of the saying: "If you love something, you'll set it free?" Here he was actting like he was on house arrest! Or maybe that guilty expression was for something else. "What is it you wanted to see me about? Has Naraku-"

"This isn't just about Naraku."

Kikyou's eyes widen slightly in suprised and then quickly turned back to normal. Inuyasha had caught her off guard by saying that. For a minute she thought he said "this isn't about Naraku". Not "this isn't just about Naraku."

"If this isn't just about Naraku, then what is it about?" Kikyou asked, her tone of voice becoming wary and slightly suspecious. Inuyasha walked toward her, grabbed her by the shoulders, and pulled her toward him in a clumsy embrace. "Inu...yasha?"

"Kikyou...why does us meeting always have to be about Naraku. Can't it be about you, about us?" Inuyasha whispered to her, pauseing to enhale her scent he added: "Can't you see thatI need you, now more than ever?"

"Why now," Kikyou asked. She was willing to forgive and forget now that he had decided to stay with her, to love her. But still, something seemed out of place. Wasn't this just a little too...conveniant? "Why after all this time are y ou ready to embrace me? Isbecause my copy, Kagome, refused you? Or is it something else?"

"Heh, so suspecious..."

"Excuse me?" For a minute there, Kikyou was quite certain that he sounded like someone else.

"Nothing, and no, this has nothing to do with Kagome. Just hear me out. Kagome and the others are quite certain that there are no more jewel shards to find. Naraku and us now each have a equal half of the Shikon no Tama. This war, it's finally ending. But I need your help Kikyou."

"My help?" Kikyou asked, wondering all the while why she didn't see that this had nothing to do with their pervious relationship. He had just been buttering her up.

"Yes. Only you and Kagome can kill Naraku. Your combined powers should be able to make sure that Naraku stays dead. We have a plan, but it's will only work if you help." Inuyasha explained. Kikyou turned her eyes to look over his shoulder instead of at him. Something just sounded off. She couldn't quite place it though.

"Kikyou, ple-"

"I'll help. But I'm not doing it for you or Kagome. I'm doing it for myself."

Inuyasha smiled and leaned down to kiss her. It wasn't a very passionate kiss, it was more of a "sealing the deal" kiss more than anything. Even though it was just a friendly, quick kiss, Kikyou still felt herself melting into it.

"Thank you, I promise, when this is all over me and you will live happily together."

* * *

"Naruku!" 

That had been several days ago. And now what Inuyasha had promised had came true. Naraku's name, thanks to Kagome, had suddenly become a battle cry. Time seemed to freeze.

Out of the corner Kikyou could see Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru attacking Naruku. Its funny how when nothing else matters you can find a ally in the most surprising places. Or maybe, just like her, he promised him something also.

Kikyoucould also see Kagura attack her creator with a carefully concealed dagger. "Naraku, just like you I too can be cunning. You shouldn't be so surprised that I would stand up for myself once more." The wind witch had finally decided to take action and take control of her life, even if it meant dieing for that life. Her wind powers, and the dagger could only wound him. And just like her sister, she ended up dieing after all her efforts.

Kagome took aim with her bow amd gathered up her energy.Her arrowmanaged to not miss this time. Half of Naruku's body was torn in half from Kagome's power, as Kagome herselffell to the ground out of energy crying Kikyou's name: "Kikyou!"

That was her cue to finish Naruku off. As it was in their agreement. She andKagome would work together,one half and then the other.Time moved as slow as a leaf falling to the ground as Kikyou pointed her bow at what was left of Naruku. She notched a arrow in her bow. Kikyou was about to let it fly, but found that she couldn't. Somehow, she managed to pause. Maybe this was a time for reflection, after all this...Could she be feeling pity after all this?

"Kikyou, what are you waiting for!" she could hear everyone shout at her. Only her and Kagome's power could finish him off once and for all. Kagome couldn't kill Naruku and neither could herself.

'Shoot him Kikyou, shoot dammit.' it was her own voice inside her head.

'Kikyou please shoot.' that one was her own mother's, a voice that she could never forget.

'Kikyou free us at last.' it was the voice of the devoured womens' souls that were all inside her, pushing her to do the right thing. But how the hell did they know what the right thing was? Who on this earth was the judge of that? Who was to say that she was doing the wrong thing? They didn't know her, so they could not judge her actions! To hell with them, she was doing this for herself and they could rot in hell for all she cared, she would join them in a minute as soon as she finished it.

'I want to be the best priestess in Japan!' Kikyou's eyes watered at the voice in her head. It was her as a little girl. She had told her mother that on the day that she had finally been accepted as a priestess, by her mother was fixing her priestess uniform. Even now, the memories of her former life, even before she met Inuyasha, haunted her. If all this had never happened...

Kikyou bowed her head, letting her bangs come in front of her eyes and shadows race across her face. "I can no longer be the priestess I once was," Kikyou explainedas she slowly raised her head and narrowed her eyes at Naruku." I can no longer be the best priestess in Japan. But I do want something to celebrate. I shuffled my arrows myself so theres no one else to blame, all I need is one final chance, one last arrow to end it all. To win this battle. So give me something I can celebrate."

Kikyou let the arrow go and it filled with all her energy. Naruku made a almost animal scream as it hit him, a scream which no one in the area would forget. Kikyou fell to her knees then to the ground, landing on her stomach. The world seemed to be spinning as Kikyou looked in front of her to see a now melting Naruku. He reached out a melting tentacle/hand out for her and it came just inches from her face.

Kikyou whispered to herself before closing her eyes. "Just die you bastard, just die..." Just die and let everything, the past included, die with you. That was all she wanted now, more than ever.

She felt a half-demons arms around her as she closed her eyes. She found herself being picked up by him. She looked through half closed eyes to see Inuyasha and then past him to see Kagome standing.Kagome was standingwith aalmost amused gaze.Kikyou felt shocked by it, but at the same time she didn't feel a thing. Maybe she would look the same if Inuyasha had choosen Kagome over her. Maybe she would feel the irony of it all if that had happened.

'There's something they're not telling you.' Said her own voice inside her head. A voice thatthrough all of her years, living and dead,hadgiven her good counsel.Kikyou looked up into Inuyasha's golden eyes to see a emotion she hadn't even know could exists in his eyes: Regret.

"Kikyou, I'm going with Kagome." Kikyou's heart broke as she heard the words she knew she would have to hear someday but denied all this time. She was stupid very stupid to believe that he was going to keep his promise. He was after all a demon, and demons never keep their word. Even half demons. Why couldn't she see the double meaning in his words that distant day.

"Do you still love me Inuyasha?" asked Kikyou in a broken voice. It was a voice which she had hoped never to talk in, but couldn't help too. The voice was the weak side of her that she couldn't afford to show. Her heart had been broken once again by the same person. A person that had once again hurt her.

Inuyasha shook his head and his and his white hair shook with it. "I still love you, or I did at one time. I'm sorry about this Kikyou." His arms tightened around her and he gripped her shoulders as he let her drop from his arms, so that she was being held up by him. Kikyou was about to say "sorry about what?" when she was slammed into the ruff bark of the same tree that she had pinned Inuyasha to 50 years ago. So this is what they weren't telling her...

Kagome picked up the jewel out of Naraku's remains and walked over to where they were. The others had left and it left only them. Kikyou saw Kagome over Inuyasha's shoulder say a spell, one of the ancient ones that only Kikyou and Keade had known.It seemed that Kikyou's little sister had in the end chooseto betrayher, or maybe Kagome had learned the spell by force.The tree in back of Kikyouslowly melted and twisted around her body until it was holding her in place. Kagome smiled happilyabout the end resultsby Kikyou narrowed her eyes.

"Sorry Kikyou but its better this way. Really it is. See you get to still have your half of my soul and you don't need souls anymore since you will live off of the jewels energy." Kagomesaidwith anothersmile.

"Damn you." Kikyou said, her voice full of hatered. Of course, it was Kagome that had twisted Inuyasha's mind. If Kikyou herself had been able to change Inuyasha all those years ago, then so could her reincarnation, but this time for the worst.

"Do you want that to be your last words?" said Kagome. Before Kikyou could reply, she stepped up to her and put the Shikon jewel around her neck while muttering another ancientspell. Kikyou felt her neck constrict like someone was chocking her, then a crushing pain around her voice box as blood came up in her mouth and slowly slid down the corner. Inuyasha stepped up to her and wiped it away and thenkissed her on the cheek as Kagome muttered yet another spell.

ThenInuyasha stepped back with Kagome to let the spell run its course after another quick glance at Kikyou. Kikyou felt herself falling asleep as she realized it was the same spell she had used on Inuyasha so long ago. She tried asking him why, but she found she couldn't speak as a faint feeling of fear came over her.

Through half closed eyes she saw Inuyasha walk away with his arms around Kagome, as she finally fell asleep.

'I have no one to blame but myself, after all if I had seen through his lie in his kiss. I would have pointed the arrow at him, thats why I hesitated. I have no one to blame...but myself...'

* * *

"And thus, we think this new project..." 

Whatever was being said, was being listened to with only a 1/2amount of interest. This afternoon meeting might have really been a bad idea. Seto really had more patience in the morning. Whether this made him a morning person or not was yet to be decided.

"blah blah, something about a machine, new new blah blah." That was exactly how it sounded to him. Couldn't they try to make their sentences a little more interesting? Or maybe Seto was expecting to much. Looking around, he could see that he wasn't the only one bored.

'God, someone just please shut him up. Or tell him to get to the point at least...' That was the third time Seto had thought this. Today it seemed he really had no patience. Or maybe it was that today just seemed like something was out of place, but Seto didn't know what. And that was what bothered him most of all besides the meeting.

"Mr. Kiaba? Sir?"

"Hm, oh, that was a brillent idea. Start working on it tomorrow. Meeting dismissed." Seto quickly said and stood upfrom the table to head for the door. Finally he could get out of this room with all these stupid white collar workers. Nothing against them personally, someone had to do it, but they were all whether dull and quite a little dumb. Well more than quite a little.

The rest of the people in the meeting just stared in mild shock as Seto left the room. The man that had been talking just rubbed the back of his head and muttered to himself, Seto hadn't even heard what the final idea was. But nevertheless, the idea would have to be put into production. Seto Kaiba was quite a diffecult man to figure out.

After leaving the meeting room, Seto started heading toward the main exit. Maybe some fresh air would clear his mind. Walking was really the best thing to do right now, or maybe it wasn't. Either way, he needed to be left alone with his thoughts.

Halfway through the hallway he was currently walking through, Seto stopped quite suddenly. He just had a feeling of deja vu, it felt like he had just walked past this hallway before or maybe he had done something before that he had failed to do this time.

But what? Was it a contract that he had forgot to sign? No that wasn't it, he had finished his work and that was why he was leaving the building. Well actually he didn't know if he had finished his work. But he was the boss, so work was whenever he felt like doing it. And there was no"school" work since school was out for the summer. Not like he needed to go to school. Now he really just took online courses. But still, that feeling wouldn't go away.

'Maybe,' said a voice in the back of his head, 'you're missing something in your life.' He frowned at the voice and stopped to think. What could he be missing? Maybe making a list of his good fortune would help.

He had a brother who adored him, more cash then the president(Overstatement.), a billion dollar company, cars, land, cards, "friends" well they weren't really friends, clothes, houses? or did that go with land, and he had a bunch of junk that he didn't need also, so what was missing?

Setoput it out of his mind as he stopped at a end table by the front door tolook into a little glass tray sitting on the table which he always put his keys in. Seto grabbed his keys out of it andwalked through the glass front doors andinto the most overly happy sunshine.Seto looked as his car and at the car keys in his pocket then decided to walk instead. He had no real destination in mind, until one popped into his head. The park. He hadn't been there in ages, since he was a little kid. Sometimes he took Mokuba, but now he was at the age where going to the park was babyish. He didn't know why but he had just decided to go, just to people watch maybe.

* * *

The park was overly crowed with overly happy people. It was almost a scene in a bad movie if you thought about it. Seto passed a women sitting on a bench with her little boy asking if he could get a ice cream or a balloon. She laughed and gave him a one dollar bill so he could get both and the little kid almost crashed into him. 

"Sorry mister." and with that the kid took off. Seto was too lost in his thoughts to care about the little brat.

'Whats missing? Wait why do I care anyway?' This brought up another good thought, was the something he was missing something that other people had? That thought just brought the voice back.

'Maybe your missing a girl-'started a voice in his head, but Seto stopped it with a warning growl as several people stopped and stared. He didn't need a girl anything. The last thing he needed was some gold digging witch that just wanted some of his company, body, and money. Ignoring the other stareing and muttering people, Seto continued. Screw them if they thought he was crazy. Screw them.

After Seto forced himself to put it out of his mind he stopped in front of the entrance to the woods part of the park. It almost looked like the woods in some mindless fairy tale with it'sdark evergreen trees and shadowed depths. There was a sign next thetheentrance that said: "Everlasingforest".That wassomething new,Seto was quitesure that he had never noticed that sign before. Or maybe that was because whenhe was little him and Mokuba just raced past it.A giggling happy couple in front of him washolding hands and entering the forest to probably make out.Seto walked after them, if this was suppost to be a walk down memory lane, then so be it.

Seto quickly became annoyed at the lovely lovely crap. Why was it that everything was goinghorribly wrong today.And whywas it that couplesthought it was cute to go outside a flant theirlovers in everybodies face.Whynot just wear a sign saying: "Hey, I'm sleeping with this Man/orWoman!" Seto finally said under his breath, "That is pathtic..." The women hanging on her boyfriendheard him and looked over her shoulder to glare at him. He gave her one of his evil sexy smiles, a smile that sent the message:"I really don't give a shit if I'm making youuncomfortable bitch. Sodon't test me."The woman blushed and looked away by holding on tighter to her boyfriend. Seto rolled his eyes. Like he was actually going to do anything, she was hardly worth his time.

Finally they came to a intersection in the path. The couple took a sunny path to the right while Seto took the dark path on the left. He passed by a half covered sign that said: "Do not enter. Path unfinished up ahead."

'So what if it's' unfinished. My lifes unfinished and this day sucks, might as well tempt fate further.' With that thought Seto stepped into the almost dark unfinished path, oblivous to what the concequences for such a act would be.

As the part of the path that was paved disappeared, Setoheard the sound of running water. Seto frowned and turned his head to the right, where he could see through the trees a sunny waterfall seemed to appear. As soon as he saw it, for a second, the waterfall and his surroundings turned lavander colored. Then, quickly, the moment passed. Maybe it was just his eyes playing tricks on him from finally seeing bright light after allthis time. But the waterfall, that was no trick.

'There can't be a waterfall here.I've covered every part of these woods with Mokuba. Maybe it's a added attraction.' Seto thought to himself as he stepped to the right, around the trees in front of him,and into the lakeside by a waterfall.

Setilooked around him at the bright green grass and at the clear blue, bubbling, lakecoming from the constant flow of the waterfall. The lack itself wasn't that deep and there were several large stepping stones leading to the other side. Tempting fate further, Seto stepped on one and then another until he was on the other side.After looking over his shoulder once, Setocontinued walking until he came to a clearing.

The clearing had only one tall, thick, ancient tree in the middle of it. On the tree, numberous Kikyou flowers were growing. Alot more thought were growing on the ground, so much that grass was barely seen. This was one of the moments, besides on tv or in a flower shop or green house, that Seto had ever seen this many flowers. The landscaper must be pretty good, that was the only way to explain such a thing like this being possible. Seto looked away from the flowers at his feet and back at the tree as the feeling of not being alone seemed to was over him.

Seto was right, he wasn't alone. What he saw made him do a double take and then finally mutter: "...What?" Entangled within the tree was a women. She looked to be no more then 17or 18 , she had pale, milky white skin, and long, dustby timeraven hair tiedback in a tradition ponytail with two loops of hair left out. She was wearing a old red and white priestess uniform that seemed to worn with time.Around her neck was a glittering lavender jewel that was about the size of a hood ornament on a car. Maybe smaller.. The women appeared to not be moving at all. It was almost like she was asleep...

While Seto was staring at her transfixed, his limbs moved of their own accord.. Seto's arms reached up and his fingertipstouchedthe jewel around her neck. It glowed once, a bright lavander glow,then the tree let go the women and she fell right into him. Seto, caught off guard by the strange sequence of events, tripped as her weight added to his own. The both of them fell down on the ground. Seto landed on his back and the woman remained on his chest.

* * *

The woman, Kikyou, felt herself awakening. She stiffly lifted her head from someone's chest and looked into the face of the one who had awakened her. Dark brown eyes met equally dark blue ones. His expression mirrored hers, one of surprise, but besides that nothing else could be read. 

Kikyou rolled off of him and tried to sit up, as Kikyou sat up as the stranger sat up and for a few minutes nothing was heard incept the sounds of the forest. Then Seto broke the silence.

"Who are you?" Not "What were you doing there hanging from a tree?" Just "Who are you?". For a human he was a bold one. At least he wasn't confused and rambleing, he seemed to just be taking things as they where with out wondering why. For the time being at least.

Kikyou was about to reply when she put a hand to her throat. She tried forming words but nothing but a mouse like squeak came out.

"What's wrong, you can't speak?" Seto asked her. Well this was one of the things to add to the new experiances list.

Kikyou looked at him like he was the stupidest person in the world and then stood up. She stood for a few seconds then fell on her side to the ground. Kikyou tried getting up but found she couldn't. From the looks of his clothing, she had been asleep for over a thousand years. Her limbs would need some time for them to work properly. She couldn't even fix her clothes, since the clothes that she had been wearing had started to deteriate.

'Just great. I still can't talk and I'm stuck in the woods with this stranger. Well you know what? I don't care, let him do what he wants, I wish I was still asleep.' Kikyou thought to herself. From the frying pan and into the fire. Why was tis happening to him.

Seto stood up and looked down at her. Kikyou looked up at him and tried to speak, which resulted in another squeak. The more Seto looked at her, the more her emotionless eyes seemed to drill holes through him. Even though he wouldn't admit it to himself, it was a little creepy. Maybe only because there was someone in this world that could perfect that look besides him. Or maybe it was because she was a beautiful woman, and in these parts the handsome man is suppost to...suppost to do what? Was he impliying on taking advantage of her? He would never sink that low. Even say, if she did owe him her life. But why else was she looking at him like that, that look that said that she was expecting something from him. Something unproper. Did she think that low of him. But then again, she didn't really know him, so she probably was...Was what?

Did one of the construction workers or wackos around here take her here, did something to her voice or because she was a mute did something to her. Maybe the person that did this to her tied her up in that tree, which Seto was starting to think was fake or machanical, and run away because the person heard him coming. It was possible. You had sick people like that in the world. And the outfit she was in, which seemed to be revealing to much because of how loose it was, seemed to be suggesting, even though it was suppost to be a cerimonial robe, things. Yes suggesting things that a sick person would get off on.

'Are you a sick person Kaiba? Are you getting off on this?' Said yet another one of those not helping voices in his head. Seto smacked a fist into the middle of his forehead. What kind of question was that? Wasn't your consence suppose to be your guide. Not the creepy guy sitting on your shoulder asking you if your happy to see her of if you starched your pants wrong this morning.

Another voice said: 'Don't listen to him!You're not that mean!Just because this has the setting of a porn movie doesn't mean you can just run wild! You weren't raise by wolfs! Or were you?' Seto got annoyed and yelled at both of the voices in his head: 'Shut up already! Just because she and I are in the woods doesn't mean a damn thing!'

Yes, maybe this morning what his feelings were trying to tell him was that he should get some mental help. Seto, quite sure that the voices had finally been chased off.

Seto turned around as Kikyou picked up a kikyou flower after decideing that he wasn't going to do anything, Kikyou had decided to give him her name.Seto looked atthe flowerthen back at her.

"Your name's Kikyou, isn't it?" Kikyou nodded and stood up. She almost fell one or two times, but she finallystood up and let the flower drop from her fingers. Seto sighed and decided to walk away. She could walk now so she could take herself to the police. There had been enough weird events today thank you very much. Unfortantly for him, Kikyou wasn't done with him yet. Having no where else to go because of the changes done to the settings around her, Kikyou had decided to follow him.

If Seto noticed he didn't say anything until they got to the middle of the path of stepping stones.When Seto suddenly stopped, Kikyou was caught off guard by the actionand her foot slipped.Seto managed to turn around and catch her before she could fall into the icy depths of the lake. Through he didn't do it to be nice.

"Stop following me!" Seto yelled at Kikyou by still holding her. He tried not to notice that his arms were around her waist and the situation they were in. What he did try to notice is that she was annoying him. Why couldn't they go their seperate ways. What Seto didn't realize by trying to ignore everything was that this was the only way out of the clearing. And that there was more going on here then perverts and lost mute woman.

'I wish I could.' thought Kikyou. There was no way she could let herself wonder around this time with out knowing anything aboutit. It seemed thatInuyasha had really screwed her over.Finally Kikyou realized how close they were and started at him.Seto let her go and turned around. Kikyou paused for a minute, thinking back on how good it felt to be held after all this time. Finally Kikyou put it out of her mind and followed Seto, decideding instead to think about how he could have freed her.

'How could he have freed me without some high level of magic? He must have some magic then! But even if he did, his magic level would have to match the level of a high priestess or priest. But how can that be?' Kikyou thought to herself by she studied the man in front of her. This matter puzzled Kikyou. The spell put on Inuyasha by her was only undone because Kagome was Kikyou's reincarnation and because of it had some high level of magic, even if she didn't know how to properly use it. The spell Kagome put on her worked in much the same way. So in order for Seto to had freed her he would need a level as high or higher then Kikyou herself. But she didn't sense anything about him. In fact she didn't sense anything at all...

'My powers...' Kikyou thought to herself sadly as they left the forest. 'They're gone. I can feel that they have left me. If I still had them I wouldn't feel so...out of place. Or maybe I still would?' It seemed Kagome really wanted to leave her powerless. Her spell didn't just take away her voice it took away her powers as well.

When they were half way out of the park Seto turned to look at her, decided that now would be a good time to pop a question: "How were you tied to that tree?"

Kikyou didn't answer,instead she pointed to her throat.There was no way she could answer his question as it was now. In her time sign language hadn't been invented yet and, since there was no sign language teacher popping out of the ground ready to teach, there was nothing she could tell him.

"So you're reallymute then?" Seto sighed and let her follow him out of the park. First he would need a few things before he could ask her questions. First of two would be new clothes. He didn't like how everyone in the park were looking at them. Usually he ignored strange looks, but when you have a strange tree dangleing priestess following you like a puppy you couldn't really ignore them. That and doing something nice for her might make her want to talk more. Second of all, he would need a notepad and pencil. Seto didn't know sign language either. Hadn't wanted or been forced to learn unlike most other languages that he had learned already. That and he doubted if she knew what sign language was for some reason.

* * *

Kikyou looked at herself in the mirror. It was one thing to free her from a thousand year old sleep, it was another to buy her clothes. Kikyou twirled in front of the mirror then stopped and put a hand to her chin. The clothes mirrored the ones she had worn before, incept for the skirt. It seemed that kimono tops were in style and so were broom skirts. Instead of socks and sandles, Kikyou was now wearing white, short dress socks and black mary jane type dress shoes. 

The woman working thecash registersmiled at Seto and handed him the bill. He looked at it and paid her, as Kikyou jumped down from the stool she was standing on.

Kikyou followed him as the next stop in what he called a "Mall" was a general store. He looked down the aisles as Kikyou looked around in amazement at the modern convinces until he found what he was looking for. A small pocket notepad. He looked up to see Kikyou looking at someone familiar when he found out that the person was Yugi.Seto grabbed Kikyou's arm and dragged her down another aisle.

They paid for the items and got out of the store when theyran into Yugi and his friends.

"Hi Kaiba, I hadn't expected to find you here and whose this?" said Yugi with a small smile. Kikyou was about to try to reply when she saw the icy look that Seto was giving her and stopped.

"I bet shes his girlfriend!" Said Joey. Kikyou leaned into Seto and looked up at him as a vain popped up on his forehead. After all just because she had to stay with him a little while until she got her bearings didn't mean she had to make it easy for him.

"She's not my girlfriend and her names Kikyou." Seto leaned away from Kikyou,hopeing she would stop leaning on him,but she continiuedleanedon him.

"Yeah right." Joey said, unconvienced. He was just trying to hide his feelings in front of his girlfriend. Another one of his trying to be cool acts.

"Don't make fun of him and his girlfriend, its rude." Said Tea, unknowing that "girlfriend" had suddenly become a tabo word. Seto looked angrily down at Kikyou, grabbed her by the shoulders, and pushed her away from him.

"Let me spell it out to you so you all can understand. S-h-e-is-not-my-g-i-r-l-f-r-i-e-n-d. Got that? Good. Kikyou were leaving."Seto angrily spelled out.He grabbed Kikyou again by the armand quickly fastwalked away.

"Bye Kaiba! Bye Kikyou! It was nice meeting you!" Yugi yelledafter while waving goodybe. Kikyou waved back at him, making Joey laugh and Tea try to conceil a smile.

Some howSeto hada feeling that things were about to change, and they weren't going to change for the better.

* * *

Sorry Kaiba fans, I just couldn't help it. That was so funny! Well at least I found that funny. Also when Kikyou's saying her last words to Naruku, I took some of the words and switched them around with the lyrics from a English Yu-Gi-Oh song. Thanks And I would tell you which one but I forgot, so find out on your own. 

And on the part where Seto frees Kikyou you should listen to "Let me be with you" from the Chobits soundtrack. Its always better to make the story come to life with music and some of the lyrics match the story. Like the part in the song that says, "To make sure the two of us meet, I cast a spell." Kagome did cast a spell right and it did make them meet. And the words in the song, "Until now, unable to say it, I've just been hiding it. I'm only acting strong, that's all it is, please see through it." Well Kikyou can't talk and they both act like their strong. Or maybe I watch too much Inuyasha and Chobits too much and have just been listening to "Let me be with you" too many times.

I also think the characters, especially Seto, were ooc. But that will change, but you have to think of several things that would make Kikyou or Kaiba seem ooc.

1. I haven't been watching the show in a long while.

2. Kikyou is mute, so she will have to deal more with her emotions.

3. They will be living together.

Thats right, I said living together. Lets see how that turns out.

Seto: Living together? Is that suppose to be a joke, well it's not funny. Just like your other stupid jokes!

Jazz7: Why you little...I don't care if your cute, you are getting such a beating for that. My jokes are too funny!

Seto: No they suck, just like you!

Jazz7: (growls then attacks him)

Kikyou: Before I die again, from laughter please review. Ha ha ha, wait till I spread the word Seto that you got beat up by a girl!

Seto: Shut up, you're suppose to be mute! Now please review so this crazy girl can leave me alone. (runs away as the "crazy girl" comes at him with a bat.)

Other side of Jazz7: Yes please review. And don't mind me, I like making you laugh. Or making myself laugh at least. :)

Edited flamers comment: You know that for ever jackass in the world their is a smart person? I'm that smart person. And this is how I'm going to handle a flamer called "you are a dumb ass bitch" and others that review this chapter and others.

First off all: I find it amazeing that you review over a comment that I put at the end of "Gift Of Humanity", just to see if you can piss me off. Well you didn't, in fact you actually gave me a good laugh.

Second of all: I find your use of the word "bitch" both vaguer and unnecessary. If the only way you can get out your anger is to use the word bitch then I feel pretty damn sorry for you. I also feel sorry that you get mad as a monkey about one little piece of fanfiction. Whoever you are I have a piece of advice for you: Don't go into politics, stay away from other people, and live your life in a bubble if you can't stand other people's opinions or threats toward people like you.That was there for a reason, to warn you. Because one of my hobbies is pointing out flamers faults. And yours are plenty.

Third of all: You didn't really say anything at all that was crappy about my writing. There is nothing "shitty" about it. I've seen worse fanfiction and worse writing. Like your writing. What do you think you're trying to do? Scare someone? Oh look I'm shaking in my boots, oh wait, I'm not wearing boots! lamo

Forth of all: People that just assume things about people's lives when they know 0.5 of them are a bunch of shitty fifth rate psychologist. I'm not a little girl, I'm not a "whore", I've probably been in more fights (verbal and physical) than you ever will be, and I'm not afraid to get locked up after rightfully kicking you lame ass across the solar system. So yeah, give me your zip code, your address, hell even you phone number, and if I think (which I don't) that you're worth my time then I'll call, I'll send you a pie and a letter of sympathy for your parents which had to put up with your worthless existence for half of their life, and if you give my your email I'll send you Spam and viruses. :) Oh and just for the record, nobody is a nobody, even you. As long as one person or thing has your name you're something. I'm far from a nobody, I'm a person. Just like you are a lieing sack of crap that wastes precious oxygen and resources on our plant with your pointlessness.

And last of all: I'm still laughing at your pathetic flame, one of the most horrible flames I had the chance to see and read. You couldn't even summon enough courage to leave anything to "tell me" about you. Which shows that you're nothing but a dunce. I'm glad I'm a Kikyou fan and a writer, really glad. Oh and if you review again I'll delete your review just like I'm about to do now. I really don't care about getting in touch with you because I have things to do in my life and that comment at the end was over two years old. I have now ruined 5 lives. lamoSo get a larger vocabulary and a life, "dumb ass". And as if to prove how much of a dumb ass you are, you wrote a review with a comment I put in it from a completely different story. This is "Kikyou", the one you're looking for is "Gift of Humanity". --

Oh and for the rest of you, I'll put your name up to if you send me a flame. I don't care how long this page stretches. I really don't. So come on, bring it. Because nothing brightens my day like flames and toast. :)

I have deleted the flame, but I'll keep on posting my responses to future flamers. I think it was good that I did do that, because that's one less piece of trash in the universe.


	2. Meeting the family and adjusting to thin...

Yeah I'm finally writeing chapter two! Well before we begin I would like to thank Lilly Pateal and Soccergirl09 for reviewing, thanks alot you guys! I'm just sorry I have nothing to give you and the other people that review my stories, besides a word of thanks. I can't draw to save my life and I don't know how to make anything like wallpapers and icons for your computer, so thanks will have to do. 

Well with that out of the way, lets start the chapter.

Disclamer: I know I know I don't own them. All I own is volume 1of the Yu-Gi-Oh manga and volume 13 and 8 of the Inuyasha manga and a bunch of other stuff that you can buy from a store.sigh Oh well...

'thoughts', "words", and some thoughts won't be surrounded by 'these'. Oh and what Kikyou writes down for what she can't say will be in _italics_. I hope you can remember this.

Kikyou: Ch 2: Meeting the family and adjusting to things...

'For now, all I can do is try to understand...'

The steady tapping of a end point of a pencil agianst paper was the only sound in the area. That and the typical noise of the city. Outside of the glass buildings the sun reflected off the glass makeing even the space under the tree sunny.

'this world and time...'

It was more nosiy because of the fact that they were sitting just outside the eastern entrance of the mall. But it was perfect place to be seen but not heard, as the people pasted on there way out and into the mall no one noticed who they were or what a odd couple they were. People were much to busy with themselves, and they could hardly see them from the shadow of the half leaning tree. Plus no one could listen to what they were talking about, well what one was talking about.

"Would you just write already."

His presence was the only thing that Kikyou noticed as she stared trance like at the notebook paper, the pencil was still locked between her fingers and she was stilltapping the paper.

tap

"Would you stop that."

tap tap tap

"Kikyou, stop that."

"ap tappty tap tap tappty (shes geting a good rhytme)

"Kikyou, I said stop that!" Seto reached out and put his hand over hers to stop her from tapping her pencil. Kikyou slowly looked up at him till they were at the same eye level. Her emontionless earthbrowneyes reveled nothing and thus they were unsettling. Kikyouknew thisandkeep stareing into his ice blue eyes untill he finally let go of her hand. He looked away from her and Kikyou keep stareing at him, waiting for him to say something.

"Would you just write the answer to my question already." He finallysaid. Kikyou looked down at the paper, her hand hovered over it to make a word, then stopped.

'I can't. I just can't tell him everything, what he has seen already could damn us both if it got out. How would people in this age take to a priestess much like myself and the fact that I was tied to a tree for over a thousand years. Lucky for me he's stupid...' Thought Kikyou to herself. She opened her mouth to sigh but found that she couldn't and closed it. She looked down at the paper and put down a question mark sign.

"So you don't know how you ended up stuck to a tree like that. Don't take me as a idiot, you don't have to talk for me to see that you're lieing."

'So he does have a brain, I underestimated him.' Kikyou thought and then stood up to look down atSeto as she awaited his decision.

"Well, I could take you to the police," Seto said as hestood up and looked down at her thanks to their difference in height. "But first-"he interupted hiself by checking his watch. "Damn. Mokuba is expecting me, and I'm already late." Seto lookedback atKikyou then lookedbackat his watch. If he took her to the police he would be late, and Mokuba told him that next time he canceled on him he was dyeing his coat pink. So it would be the more intelligent thing to just leave this woman and get on with your own life. Someone else would have to help her out.

Seto turned around and did just that, tried to leave Kikyou by herself. Unfortantly, Kikyou just put the notebook she had recieved in her pocket and ran to catch up with him. Seto's fast walk turned in to a faster fast walk, but all through it, crowds and all, she kept up with him until finally Seto yelled at her: "Stop following me!"

Kikyou, angry that he would justattempt to get out of the situation so easily, wroteon a piece of paper: _I have to, I don't know where I am. Remember?_

"Danmmit, fine whatever, I'll call the police as soon as I get home." Seto replied and slowed his pace so Kikyou could keep up with him. It seemed he was stuck with her for a little while longer.

* * *

Kikyou looked up at the skyscraper with Seto's last name on it, amazemed at the sheer size andbuilding materials of the building. This was more grand than theothers of it's kind she had seen. Or maybe that was becauseshe was this close toa building like this one and the others were either faraway or not as tall.Kikyou's eyes finally wandered away from the shiny glass windows and metal frames of the building and back to the sign on it. 'If this is where he lives then Kaiba must be his last name.' 

FinallyKikyou looked around for Seto, seeing as he suddenly wasn't by her side. Noticeing that he had probably gone inside she attempted to walk through the see through glass doors. Since in her time there were no glass doors, Kikyou thought there was no doors at all. Finding that she couldn't walk through it Kikyou put her hands on it and felt around. Seto, noticeing that Kikyou haddisappeared, turnedto see her acting like a mime. He opened the door for her, grabed her arm and draged her inside before anyone could see/notice her strange behavoir.

"Thats the last damn time I go to that damn park." Seto mumbled under his breath to himself while Kikyou just looked over her shoulder at the amazeing solid air doors.

After droping his keys in the same bowl he had took them out of, he and Kikyou walked down the hall untill they came to a turn in the hallway.

"Your late brother!" Seto and Kikyou froze and looked into the shadows in front of them.

'That sounds like...wait it couldn't be Sesshoumaru, Seto's not Inuyasha. And the voice is different it sounds like a child.'(Yeah I know he doesn't sound like Sesshoumaru. But I'm trying to be funny.)

Mokuba stepped out of the shadows and stared at his brother. It was clear as day that he was angry.

"Sorry Mokuba, I ran into a problem..."said Seto he looked over to Kikyou,causeingMokuba to finally notice her.

'Wow, shes so pretty...' The younger Kaiba thought to himself while starting to stare.Kikyou saw him stareing at her and put a hand to one of her locks of hair, thinking that something was wrong with it since she had been hanging from a tree for thousands of years.

"This is Kikyou." Said Seto from seeing him stareing atKikyou hard enough to drill a hole into her.

"Is she going to stay with us? Please can she stay with us?" Exclaimed Mokuba by giveing Seto puppy dog eyes. Kikyou crouched down to his level and looked up at Seto with puppy dog eyes too. Thinking that maybe trying this strange custom would make him say yes so she could have more time to think of what to do now.

Seto put a hand to his head and sighed out: "I suppose so...but only for one night." Once he said it Mokuba let out a huge yell of joy and grabed Kikyou's arm, making Seto feel guilty that he had ever started giving him whatever he wanted. And making Seto wonder where he learned to win what he wanted bybegging, that and if this love at first sight crush Mokuba had suddenly developed would cause problems. But everyone had a first love right? Maybe it would be healthy for him.

"Come on, I'll show you around!" Shouted out Mokuba happliyby draging a slightlystunned,from the yelling andfinding out that beggingdid work, Kikyou through the whole building.

(5 hours later.)

"Okay and here's my room, and that's the end of the tour." Mokuba finally proclaimed. He had just spent five wonderful hours showing off Kabia's wealth, but at least he got Kikyou in the deal and learned that money can not only get you woman, boats, more money, but you can spend time with someone to by using it. Yay for him!

Unfortantly, Kikyou hadn't been paying attention to anything. Kikyoufinally heardMokuba's words andtilted her head to the side in a slight state of confusion. She had been too busy thinking about his brother, how he had awakened her, and how he could actually do it without being a high priest.

Mokuba sighed when he found out she hadn't been listening or paying attention. It had seemed like a good ideaat the time.But it seemed to havebored her. Finally finding a idea, or an old idea,Mokuba snaped his fingers and looked up at her.

"Fine, thats okay, that just means that I can give you the whole tour of the building agian!" Yes this would work, and this time he would give her the short version of the tour. That and through in a couple of romantic, I'mtooyoungandyourtoooldbutIcanwaitifyoucan, hints.

(2 hours later.)

The sun was still high in the sky, but in a hour or so it would set. Looking to his right Kaiba could see that they had been gone for 7 hours. Well he could say one thing about her, she sure knew how to get his brother excited. Luckly he wasn't at the age where he actually noticed girls parts and what those parts could do or he would really have something to worry about.

Still even if she is beautiful, it was her eyes that draw people to her, not her looks.It was the emptyness what suprised people and instently lured them to her, wether she knew it or not, she had the eyes of the dead. The same hanting emotionlessness and emptyness that he had seen on dead bodies...

Maybe that was why it was so hard for Mokuba to look away and for him to look at her.

A small squeak drew his attention from the window, he turned around in his chair to find the person he had been thinking of.

Kikyou leaned behind the half opened door with one hand on the door, and half of her body visible. She made another small mice like squeak, forgetting that she couldn't talk and instantly wanting his attention.

"Oh, there you are, hey you found Seto." Said Mokuba, heappeared right beside Kikyou. "Now that I found you you can help me find a room for Kikyou to stay in!" Mokuba draged the two of them out of the room and into the hallway.

Seto, knowing that now it was too late to kick her out, searched his memory and found that he did have a guest room that was quite close by.

* * *

"Here I hope this will do, but your only staying for one night."said Seto by opening the door. He looked at Mokuba as he said it so that he would get the point. Mokuba looked back with disapointment that quickly disappeared from his face as he looked at Kikyou. She stood in the middle of the room and looked around. 

The room had white carpet, and was fairly large for just one person. The french windows opened up to a smalliron patio and faced towards the sunset. Sheer white curtains covered the windows, and agianst the wall to the right of it was a small nightstand next to a queen sized bed with a black sheets and white pillows. On the wall to the left was a small glass and white iron vanity next to the bathroom. To the right of the bathroom was a small empty closet.

Kikyou didn't know what to say at the moment, everything was modern and new to her. This was the first time she had been invited into a house, even one as odd as this, and given a room fit for a queen maybe even a king. Kikyou finally turned around to look at Seto. _Thank you_.

"Your welcome. In the moring we can get you to a police station, they'll know what to do with you." Seto replied to herwriten statement. Ashe was about to turn away and exit the room Mokuba spoke.

"Why doesn't she stay with us permently, she can be my babysitter or something?"

Seto smiled at him, it was a small worn out smile but also a sly knowing one. "Aren't you a little too old to have a babysitter?"

"So? I think with school being out for the summer and withme have nothing to do but go to the mall or over to a friend's house, I could become very bored and Kikyou would keep me from getting bored. She could stay here and I could stay here so you would know where I am all the time, insept when I go out with Kikyou, and-"

"I'll think about it." Seto said, cutting him off in mid sentence and, thankfully, cutting him off from continueing to ramble.

After Seto left Mokuba turned to Kikyou. "Don't mind my brother, he's not so bad once you get to know him. I hope you can stay with us!"

Kikyou bended down to his level._ So do I, I'm afraid I have no where else to go. Thank you for being so kind_. She then kissed him on the cheek and ushered him out the door.

After closeing the door behind her, she looked toward the sunset. Kikyou walked out onto the iron patio and looked up at the colors of the setting sun.

'I can no longer go back in time to my age, now I am stuck here. But this age is not my own and even if it was, I have no desire to stay in the same time span as the women and half demon that did this to me. But I have no choice... Maybe by staying with these humans I can learn the ways of this time and get back on my feet. Someday...I will get my vengence, Inuyasha, the dead don't forget but they do get even.'

* * *

I was going to continue with the chapter but I thought I would cut off there. The next chapter is a bonus chapter! What's a bonus chapter you say? It's a chapter that I didn't think of when I was thinking this story out. 

In the next chapter Mokuba, Kaiba, and Kikyou go out together around the city to spend "quality time with each other". Why's Kikyou comeing along? Well she's in the title and a main character! I will try to write a little comedy in the next chapter which I hope you people will find funny.

Also to respond to Soccergirl09's review: Kikyou held up a Kikyou flower to tell him her name and Seto guessed correctly that that was her name. So thats how he know's. He's not psychic, just cute! (note: I'm not a fangirl, I'm trying to make you laugh again by acting werid. )

Seto: For the love of god, will you stop saying I'm cute? I think they get it!

Kikyou: Will you just shut up! You know what happened the last time you got her mad. She beat the hell out of you!

Yugi: She did? Wooooow do you have pictures?

Jazz7: Yes I do, Yugi, here. Put them up on the internet and show them to your friends.

Yugi: COOL! I'll go off to do that right now. (starts to sing "Change the world" from the Inuyasha soundtrack as Seto chases after him.)

Kikyou: Now please review.


	3. Another good reason not to have family g...

Thanks everyone so much for all the kind reviews, and sorry if anyone got confused with the story line, but it will make since later. Also since you can't have some signs in your story on anymore, I'll put Kikyou's speech in italics. 

Oh and before I forget, I have to explain something for someone who reviewed.(My internet was down when I wrote this so I couldn't get the name.) Its okay if you guys think that Kagome and Inuyasha wouldn't betray Kikyou, but you have to remember that fightingchanges people. I'm sure that until Kikyou started killing and chaseing demons away from her village, or got the Shikon no tama, that she was a pretty nice person. She probably had alot of emotions that she showed, like if she was happy she would have smiled or sad frowned. So you see that Kagome doesn't really know much about war or battle. Sure she takes place in alot of battles, but what's that doing to her head. On the outside she probably looks like her regular bubblely self, but on the inside alot of dark emotions about what she's seen is probably takeing place. And Kikyou just helps to burn that fuel of hate, since after all she is Kikyou's rencarnation. Why can't she be a little hateful herself? And with her always taking it the wrong way when Kikyou and Inuyasha meets of course she's going to hate her. In several instances she actually says, "I hate Kikyou". So since her being the little goody two shoes that she wants to be, with all that love and peace crap thats floating through her head, she's going to do the "right"thing. Shes going to pin Kikyou to the same tree that Inuyasha was and take away her voice and powersso she won't hear her when she walks away and so Kikyou can't try to break the spell. That and put her to sleep so she won't have to see Inuyasha and her together. Or she was hopeing that she would kill her by putting her to sleep and takeing away her voice and powers. That by she was asleep she would slip into death and find peace, and the whole energy off the jewel thing was to make sure that she didn't turn to dust so that it wouldn't seem to Inuyasha that she had turned to the "dark side".

If you still think that Kagome wouldn't do something like that then you should take a good look at TV. You can see on the news jealous lovers killing the person that they suspect is with the person they love, or the person they love for cheating. And people that went to war come out to be different people afterwards. And with no suprise considering all the bodies they saw, or people dieing includeing people they may have know and loved.

And as for Inuyasha, well I hate to say it but...he wouldask how high if Kagome said jump. The fact is that I see him as someone that either loves of thinks he loves Kagome. And people do a lot of crazy things when their in love. Like give away their whole house to the person they love, or money, cars, about anything they ask. That and I think he thinks that Kikyou would be better off at peace, so all Kagome had to do was tell him that this way she wouldn't die but just be asleep so she would be at peace. And the taking away her voice thing probably was just so that she wouldn't have to scream or curse them for all eternity.

But hey, if you still don't believe that Kagome or Inuyasha would do that, you can read something else. And the anime Inuyasha isn't over yet, so who knows how the characters will change or act at the end.

Disclamer: I do not own them in any way, so I only own the plot. And my 4 volumes of Yu-Gi-Oh manga along with my 5 volumes of Inuyasha manga. And my spot on a KidsWB hatelisting.

'thoughts'

"Speach"

Kikyou's _writing_

Kikyou: Ch 3: Another good reason not to have family gatherings.

"Aw, you won again!"

_Won? _asked Kikyou as she looked down at the small deck of playing cards. The game seemed confuseing and a waste of time to her, something that she wouldn't let a rat play. The pictures looked nice, but the whole concept of "Duel Monsters" confused her.

'Maybe its some kind of war game or something...'

Mokuba looked up at the clock and picked up the cards.

"Were going to be late!"Mokuba exclaimedas he once againdragged Kikyou out into the hallway outside his room. Kikyou didn't protest, she was getting used to the dragging thing. After all, Seto did to her all the time. Like older brother like younger brother.

'Late for what? Damn, its just my luck that things like this happen to me.' Thought Kikyou by trying not to get her arm dislocated with howhard he was tugging on her arm.

Finally Mokuba reached the dinning room and let go of Kikyou. Kikyou sank down to the floor and tried to regain her breath. Kikyou had completely forgotten how willful and fast little kids were.

'Was my little sister ever like this? If so, thank god that I was always out around the village instead of the always in the house with her.' Kikyou looked up at the table to see Mokuba asking Seto a question. He put down his paper and sighed as Kikyou stood up and brushed off her clothes.

"So today's the day, you promised!" Mokuba said in a slightly whiny, slightly annoyed voice. Seto sighed againand looked at him.

"I know what I promised. But we also have to take Miss Kikyou then," He said with a wave of his hand at her., " to the police. They can handle her and take her back to her home." With that, he continued reading the paper

Kikyou frowned and put a hand over her sore arm. Sore arm or not, she was determined not to let him win this battle. No matter how much money he had, he couldn't mess with the elderly. _Thats okay. All I need is time to get back on my feet. I don't have a home to go to anymore. _

Seto's eye twitched at her written words and Kikyou looked out the window next to her in order to conceil a smileby Mokuba smiled openly with happiness.

"See? She can stay with us. Besides she doesn't have a home and she likes staying here with us. Don't you Kikyou?" Asked Mokuba

'Yeah its a real barrel of laughs...' Thought Kikyou sarcasticlyas she smiled backat Mokuba.

"Well whether she likes it or not, we're not a homeless shelter." Seto pointed outas Kikyou looked his way and glared at him.

_I amnot homeless!  
_  
"Well just think about it! Plus remember that today's-" Started Mokuba before Seto cut him off.

"I know what today is already! And if you want to "spend quality time" together so badly then so be it. I'm yours for a hour." After saying that Seto walked out of the door. Leaving Mokuba and Kikyou (being dragged of course) to follow him.

* * *

Seto sighed as he watched Mokuba jump off another swing set. Thanks to Mokuba, they were at the same park that Seto had been in yesterday. While Seto stood watching Mokuba, Kikyou sat on a short wall seperateing the small park garden from the playground. She looked at the garden besides her and twirled her pencil in her hands, from finger to finger. 

'God I hate this fucking park. Every single bad memory that I can think of is locked here. Includeing finding this girl (Kikyou) hung from a fucking tree in this fucking park. And if that wasn't enough my damn little brother likes her.,' Seto looked over to Kikyou as she was looking across the wall and away from him. 'And whats to like? She can't even talk for gods sake and she's as pale as a vampire. I wouldn't be suprised if she was one...God I hate woman, little kids, and this damn park! I'm going to put it on my to do list to tear this place down.'

Kikyou turned to Seto as she felt his eyes on her. Forgeting for a moment that she couldn't talk she looked questionly at him and tryed to say "what". But all that came out was another high pitched, mouse like, squeak. She quickly put a hand over her mouth and turned her eyes away from him.

'Damn Kagome for this! Damn her to hell! Since I know I'm going there, I'm going to be waiting for her ass. That way I can kill her over and over again for takeing away my voice. And make me sound so damn...weak! I sound like a mouse, that damn bitch!'

Seeing the serious expression on her face Seto looked up at her and asked: "What got you pissed all of a second?"

'Maybe it was you and your stupid damn questions. You can travel 100 or so years into the future and men will still remain the same...' Thought Kikyou as she turned to look at Mokuba.

Incept for one problem. He was gone.

Jumping down from the wall she looked around at the half empty playground. Setonoticed her nowworried expression and lookedat the playground also andscowled.

"I can't believe it. He ditched us. Well he couldn't have gotten far, he'll come back when he's hungry or something like that."

Kikyou glared at him and angrily turnedon him.

_He could also be kiddnapped!He's rich too, if that ever registered into your mind! He could be kiddnapped and held for ransom, or hurt somewhere, or, or I don't know! But I do know that since your he's youryounger brother you're responsible for him! So get off you lazy ass and help me look for him! Or so help me god I will murder you in cold blood and leave your rotting corpse in the middle of a road for all to see!  
_  
Before he could respond Kikyou, for once, dragged him out of the playground area of the park and over to the gardens.

"And why again are we searching in the middle of some stupid flower garden for my brother? Unless he suddenly turned into a girl I doubt he would be here."Seto saidas Kikyou stood on a rock and looked out across the flower fields.

_Well that's why were looking here. If he is hideing from us he would pick a place where no one would suspect him to be. Well we know you wouldn't be a good detective.  
_  
"Whatever. I'm leaveing, if he wants to pull stunts like this then he can find himself his own way home."

Kikyou losted it and ponced on him. Pinning him to the ground Kikyou rasied the pencil, that she had been twirling in her fingers, above her head. Before she could stabe him in the head a shadow came over the two.

"Excuse me you two but this is a public place. So could you two refrain from...well...doing the "needs of nature" in our fair park. I'm afraid this includes you too Mr. Kaiba." Said one of the park officers.

Puzzled Kikyou looked up at the man while Seto managed to get her off of him.

"Yes well thank you for that bit of information. I tried to tell her that you can't do it in a park, but you know how woman are. Well this won't happen again, won't it dear?" Seto jokedby smileing at a still puzzled Kikyou, putting on a act until the man walked away. When the man did walk away Seto glared at her and got up to dust his clothes, all the while saying: "I could have had you arrested for trying to murder me."

Kikyou looked up at him and voiced her opinion: _And I could try it again. Now stop being a jackass and help me search for your brother.  
_  
"Whatever."Seto said once againas he started to walk away to another area of the park.

'If he says that word one more time, I'm going to kill him but before that I'll see how he likes it with his voice box crushed. Damn bastard...'

* * *

"Well this is where he usually goes. Its really the only place in the park that has alot of tables and chairs. And food stands. He should be around here. But if not, I'm going home to make a lot of people in the world really unhappy, so hurry up and find him." SaidSeto as he sat down at a table by two old men playing chess. 

Kikyou crossed her arms over her chest and was about to say something but decided not to.

'Who does he think he is? I'm not his damn maid and it's his brother...' Thought Kikyou as she looked around and walked over to two old ladies agureing about something.

_Excuse me, but could you help me try to find someone? He's a little boy, about 10-13, I'm not sure about the age. He has long black hair and goes by the name of Mokuba. Please if you've seen him, could you help me?  
_  
One of the old ladies put on some reading glasses. The other one looked at it too, but then shook her head.

The second old lady said: "I'm sorry but I haven't seen any black monkeys." Kikyou looked at her like she was out of her mind and turned to the other.

"Well I have seen a little boy...he was really cute too, I think you just missed him. He reminded me of my wild days of youth...when I was your age..."

_Thank you, bye!_

Kikyou left before they could say any thing else. Going back to Seto she dragged him up from the table and went off in the direction that the old lady was pointing at.

* * *

The old woman hadn't really really helped. Mokuba wasn't here. All that was here was a nice view of the setting sun and another park bench surrounded by cement walls. 

Seto sat on the bench while Kikyou looked up at the setting sun.

"Well I hate to say I told you so, but I told you so. He'll show up when he's hungry."

Kikyou turned to glare at him once againand walked over to stand in front of him. He couldn't act like he didn't care, how could someone not care about their own brother? And even if he didn't...

_Why are you such a bastard? Couldn't you pretend to be worrIed about your brother? I hate you and you hate me, but right now I could care less about you or me. I'm just really worryed about Mokuba...  
_  
Sighing Seto stood up and looked down at her. "He's a big boy he can take care of himself. Plus I was wondering if you would really kill me. I guess I can't push all of your buttons."

Looking up at him and giveing him a small smile Kikyou shook her head.

_Yeah I probably would, buttons are no buttons.You're still a stupid jerk to me. No matter what you do, you're still a spoiled little rich kid.  
_  
"You make it sound like you're older." Said Seto as he looked deep into Kikyou's eyes.

_Well lets just say I'm old enough to see the world, but young enough to take it down by myself too. _Kikyou looked up at his dark aqua depths and put her hands behind her back as she waited to see what was going to happen. Seto leaned toward her a bit when someone's voice was heard.

"There you two are! You haven't even been trying to find me, instead all you two have been doing was kissing in the park! Gross!" Mokuba exclaimedas he pointed at the two of them. Knowing very well that that hadn't happened, or at least trying to hope that it hadn't.

Kikyou blushed while a vain popped out on Seto's forehead. It seemed that nothing had happened after all.

"Why you little-I've been dragged all day around the park, nearly murdered, and had to deal with an overly emotional woman, and thats all you have to say? For your information we weren't kissing, I would rather have myself run over by a car! Now we are going home right now!" Seto yelledas he picked up Mokuba and started walking out of the park.

Kikyou stood looking at them then smiled and ran to catch up.

* * *

Thats the end of the chapter! Hurray, I finally updated something besides "Kingdom Hearts: Soul Taker", which is now at chapter 7. I also redid "Darkness", so you can now go read the new chapter 1. And I did my first ever oneshot, it called "Of light and Darkness". And fans of Kingdom Hearts: Soul Taker should like it. Well I hope they will just like I hope I do have fans. Well anyway its a Riku/Kikyou pairing and I think its pretty good, a little confuseing, but good. So check it out at MediaMiner, myusername is Sailor J. 

I'll be back with chapter 4 soon, so hang in there. The next chapters going to be serious and going to explain the plot, and have some action in it too. So stick around for that, since I update a story every 2 weeks to-one month, to half a year. Sometimes shorter then that. Also listen to "1/3 no junjou na Kanjou" from the Rurouni Kenshin soundtrack when reading this chapter. It sort of reminds me of Kikyou and Seto. You can see the lyrics on Animelyrics, in the next chapter I'll point out the lyrics that remind me of them.

So for now leave a review, a nice one though, and all your questions will be answered in the next chapter.


	4. The hunters and the hunted

Hey I'm back, and thank you ARTEMIS, Dark wolf on a full blood, and RoyelJester for the nice reviews. And thank you everyone else who reviewed, this chapter is for all of you. After all I should update once in awhile or else you people would think I'm dead. (laughs) Just kidding. Well I promised something on the last chapter about lyrics so here you guys go.

I guess the lyrics in the song 1/3, some of them remind me of Kikyou and Seto. Like the part when it says: "Even if my love reaches the breaking point, 1/3 of it won't reach. My true feelings are just spinning on air, my heart isn't even saying "I love you". Well Kikyou never does really admit her feelings for Inuyasha, but you can tell there there, or were anyway.

"Whoever you love, these images will reach them, right? Don't say you can find them, your words are dancing in space. The further apart you go, the more it hurts the person you love. The more I chase them, the more my heart feels the cruel distance." This also reminds me of Kikyou, but in a way it reminds me of Kikyou and Seto. I can kind of imagen him saying that to her in this story or her saying that to him, after all this might turn out not to be K/S.

"Give me a smile and shiny days, Give me a smile and nice days, If only we could meet in an embrace... Whoever you love, these images will reach them, right? If only you had said so in your dreams. Even if my love reaches the breaking point, 1/3 of it won't reach. My true feelings are just spinning on air, my heart isn't even saying "I love you" This probably doesn't sound like either of them, but I like this part in the lyrics so don't complain.

Well thats about it, oh yeah I almost forgot. I know I kinda made this into a comedy with the chapters 1-3, but now its time to get serious. This chapters going to have some action, angst, drama, and be kind of confuseing. Maybe I really should have waited untill I planned this all out...oh well.

Disclamier: Oh sure, I own them. Just like I'm the Easter Bunny or rich. Don't ask questions you already know the answer to.

_"Kikyou's speech"  
_  
"Everyone's elses speech"

'thoughts'

Kikyou: Ch 3: The hunters and the hunted.

'I've always known how you've felt, I've known it right from the start...'

A cold wind made Kikyou look up from her thoughts. With a wordless sigh(she can't talk remember?)she leaned forward on the cold iron rail of the baclony. Laying her head on her folded arms on the rail she looked up at the the night sky to see the full moon. Another sigh and she looked in front of her at her mirror image comeing from the reflection of a glass window on the building oppisite the one she was in. Smileing she closed her eyes.

'Inuyasha always hated it when I'd fix my hair differently or looked too long in the mirror. He'd always say...'

(Flashback)

"Why do you have to change the way you look, you look just fine to me?"

"Inuyasha...I just think that maybe..."said Kikyou as she looked away from the small hand mirror that her sister had gave her for her birthday. "Maybe I want to look nice for a change. After all...everthing changes, shouldn't I have that small right for once?"

"Feh." Kikyou shoke her head from side to side as Inuyasha turned around and crossed his arms. He just didn't want to admit defeat, it was the same thing everytime, he just didn't understand.

"Inuyasha..."said Kikyou as she slowly turned around. She took one of his hands into hers and gave him the mirror. "If you think I shouldn't change my hairstyle, then have the mirror. That way I can't change."

Inuyasha's ears perked up and he looked over his shoulder. "You really mean that, can I really have it?"

Kikyou nodded her head and he turned back around. Looking at the mirror in his hand Kikyou laughed when he made a face.

"What did you do to my hair?"he yelled when he saw that it had flowers in it.

"Sorry Inuyasha, but I had to. You won't wash your hair so I had to do something to make it smell good." laughing Kikyou started to walk away.

"Oh no you don't! Kikyou, come back here right now! Kikyou, I'm warning you, damnmit of all the things why flowers!"

(End flashback)

'Things were so much simpler back then. Why can't they go back to the way things were?'

Kikyou opened her eyes and looked at the building in front of her. Lost in her thoughts for a second she almost didn't sense that someone was watching her. Looking up at the building in front of her she gripped the Shikon jewel in one hand when she felt a human presence.

'The feeling...its human but its defently watching whoever it is know about the jewel?'thought Kikyou to herself as she let her eyes look over the building in front of her. The feeling vanished and Kikyou stopped looking at the building and started looking at the jewel in the palm of her hands.

"Kikyou." Kikyou half turned around when she heard a voice from the darkness. Peering into the darkness of her room she almost didn't see the figure that stepped into the doorway. Kikyou relaxed when she saw it was just Seto.

"Expecting someone?" Shakeing her head no she turned fully around to look at him. All that she could really see of him was the little bit of his flesh that was visible, he was wearing a shade of black that blended into the darkness of the unlit room and hallways. Kikyou looked down at herself to notice that from where he was standing he probably had the same impression. She was wearing a black nightgown that she had found in the closet, she guessed that it was a gift from him. Crossing her bare arms across her chest ,she covered up the jewel from his view.

After a moment of awkward silence Seto finally spoke. "I came here to talk about...us."

Suprised from his tone, Kikyou took a step back. In away it was familer, it sounded like something Inuyasha would say or had said a long time ago. Or maybe it was something she had said, or wanted to...

"I can't really turn you into the police can I? I already know they won't have a file on you, technicly you don't even exist. I've already tryed to bring your file up on the computer, I wasn't too suprised when nothing came up."

Letting her arms fall to her sides, Kikyou tryed to act suprised. 'He's alot smarter then he looks, I don't know what he's talking about on files or computers, but of course nothing would come up about me. I'm older then this city.'

Seto narrowed he's eyes and Kikyou turned her head to look at the wall next to her. "Mokuba seems to have taken a likeing to you, and to be honest I wouldn't feel bad about putting you out on the streets if it wasn't for him. But If you hurt him, or anything happens that endangers him because of you. I'll do more then throw you out on the streets. After all no ones going to miss a person no one knows about or doesn't exist." With that he turned and walked away leaveing Kikyou to her thoughts.

'I don't wish to get Mokuba envolved in anything, but I can't promise anything either. The feeling that I got came from the building in front of me, whoever watching me wants something...and they might do anything to get it...'

"Yea! Pancakes!"said Mokuba as Kikyou set a plate in front of him. She was just now getting used to what Mokuba called "t.v", and the funny little man on the screen was telling her how to cook pancakes. It wasn't something heathly but it would have to do for now. She had minutes before ushered the chef from one of the many kitchens in the building. She wanted to cook him a nice breakfast herself, after all it use to be one of the many things she would do for her own little sister. And being with him reminded her of times long pasted.

Sighing she flipped a pancake and then looked out the kitchen window in front of her. The sky was a clearer shade of blue then it had been yesterday or the day before, or maybe it was just her eyes playing tricks on her. Who could tell? The day before yesterday, she knew the world, now she didn't know it at all. She had woke up like a baby from its mothers womb, and everything was a brand new experience. The birds overhead reminded her of a time long pasted with Inuyasha, when they had that rare time to themselfs, and even rarer was that they were away from the village, it was just the two of them and the birds. It was the ocean that she remembered the most, Inuyasha had brought her there for her birthday, after they made up about that fight over the mirror...

Lost in her thoughts she didn't notice when someone stood over her, untill they gentally tapped her shoulder. Startled she jumped up alittle.

"Your going to burn the whole house down if you continue cooking like that."said Seto over her shoulder. Looking down at the burned pancake she nodded then turned to him. There eyes met for a moment, deep blue meeting dark brown, but the moment soon ended when Mokuba said something.

"Hey a new exibit at the museum has opened up, it says in the paper that its on ancient Japanese art and weapons." Exclamied Mokuba, hopeing that this would, and it did, break up the moment between the two of them.

Kikyou mentally sighed with relif that he had intrupted what ever went on bettween the two of them and went to Mokuba's side. Looking down at the paper she could see that what he was saying was true, and the grand opening was today.

"So,"said Mokuba from looking up from the paper., "can we go?"

Seto sighed and looked out the window, then sighed again and turned toward the both of them. "I suppose so..."

"Yes! Thats great! I wonder if Kikyou likes museums though...you don't have to go if you don't want to..."Mokuba saidby looking at Kikyou.

_No thats fine. I'm looking forward to going._ Wrote Kikyou.

"Fine then, I'll go grab the car keys."said Seto before leaveing the room. After several times of try to explain that cars aren't big evil iron machines of death, and trying to get Kikyou into the car, without trying to destory it or look like they were kiddnapping her, they arrived at the museum.

Mokuba frowned by looking at a map of the museum that he had recived by oneof thepeople outside of the musuem advertisingit. Seto payed for their tickets at the booth outside of the musume.

After going inside, Kikyou looked down a hallway and pointed at it as Mokuba looked up from the map.

"Hey you foundit right away, way to go! Museum maps always make no sense, thanks." Said Mokuba as he dragged both Kikyou and his brother down the hall andinto the enourmous displayroom.

While Seto was yelling at Mokuba about not dragging him anywhere, Kikyou looked around the room with the featured exibit in it. Stopping in front of a painting with a little girl in it Kikyou took a step back in suprise from the image.

'Rin...'thought Kikyou to herself as she stared at the painting. In it it showed alittle girl holding a bunch of flowers in her right hand, her face was drawn in the shadow of a tree over her. She had the same lopsided ponytail on the side of her head that Rin would havehad.

(Flashback)

"Look I don't like the arangemeent as much as you do, but we have to work together in order to defeat Naraku."

"I don't work with humans or half breeds."

Frowning Kikyou holded back her anger, she didn't want to kill him if she didn't have to, she just wanted him to see things her way. But Sesshoumaru, being the cold hard bastard that he was, just didn't see things her way. Sure she didn't want to work with Inuyasha and his group as much as he did, but God did he have to make such a fuss. Who ever said princes were kind, gental, and fair people didn't meet Sesshoumaru.

"I believe we are finished here." He said then turned around, giving her back to her as a sign of not listening. Frowning Kikyou turned her back on him also.

"Will priestess Kikyou pick flowers with Rin?" Kikyou looked down to see a little girl pulling on her pants leg. Smileing she kneeled down to her level and nodded her head yes. Rin smiled and took her hand and lead her over to a small patch of flowers.

(End flashback)

'If it hadn't been for her, Sesshoumaru never would have agreed to join the temperately team to defeat Naraku. I wonder who painted this, I don't think Sesshoumaru has the patince to paint... He didn't have the patince for alot of things, includeing me...at least he wasn't like Inuyasha. I would never had expected him too...' Kikyou gripped the jewel in her right hand as she tryed not to think about it. She almost didn't notice it when someone stood by her side and looked at the painting too.

"Its a nice painting even if you can't see the face. I think the artist name is writen in the corner."said Seto. Kikyou looked down at the corner of the painting, in the bottom left hand corner was the words "Inu". Suprised Kikyou let go of the jewel and looked up at the painting again.

"Reconize the artist?"asked Seto as he started to walk away. Kikyou watched him go then walked off to the right, the same direction that he walked off to.

'What does that mean? Does he know?'thought Kikyou to herself.'Still I'm suprised Inuyasha knew how to paint, he's more impatince then his brother. Still that always explains why he wanted a sketch book for his birthday...'

Kikyou stopped walking as she saw Mokuba looking up at at another painting. When he heard her comeing he looked from it to her and smiled. Smileing back Kikyou stood by his side to look up at the painting.

"For some reason, this reminds me of you... Silly huh? It was painted thousands of years ago, you can't be that old."said Mokuba as he looked from the painting to Kikyou. Kikyou was too lost in her thoughts to hear him.

'He painted one of me too? I didn't even know...'thought Kikyou to herself as she slowly let her her fingertips trail over the bottom half of the painting. It was a picture of a priestess that looked very much like her sitting and holding a bow and arrow in a dimly colored room, her face was shaded in like the painting of Rin was. Around her neck was a brightly colored jewel...

"Kikyou you do know your not suppost to touch the art."said Mokuba. Kikyou stopped touching the painting and looked down at him. Mokuba grabed her hand and exclaimed, "Seto's over there lets see what he's looking at." Mokuba let go of Kikyou's hand as soon as they reached Seto, looking up at the picture he mimketed Seto and didn't say anything by putting his hands behind his back. Kikyou stepped in back of them and looked up at the painting. Her eyes widened slightly when she saw who was in it.

She wasn't so suprised by his skill of painting, but by who he choose to paint. The painting showed Sesshoumaru, both him in his full demon form and him in his regular form, they were blended to make them seem almost like the two images were one.

'Inuyasha, I wonder if you painted yourself the sameway...'thought Kikyou to herself.

Seto peered over his shoulder at her then turned halfway around. "Why the sad face, don't like art?"Seto asked Kikyou. Kikyou was about to reply, untill she heard someone else walking into to the room. Kikyou looked up at Seto's face when she saw that he was watching someone. Frowning he looked down at Mokuba and Kikyou. "Well I think we have seen almost everything in the exibt, lets head back. I'll meet you guys back at the car."he said. Mokuba was about to say something, but Kikyou nodded at Seto and took his hand and dragged him toward the exit. She was just doing it to leave the place and its reminders of the past behind. Walking down the hallway that led to the main part of the museum Kikyou passed a group of people that looked familer.

'Those people...there the group from that place...the mall... No wonder Seto wanted to leave. Still I wonder why he just wanted me and Mokuba to leave, maybe its about the fact that last time they thought I was his girlfriend. Probably so, if they saw me with him again they would just think I really was. Like I would want to be, I'm not intersted in getting hurt again.'thought Kikyou to herself. Upon reaching the main part of the museum and the glass doors leading to the exit, they saw a crowd of people blocking the exit. Someone had be in a accident or some other reason for the crowd to gather. (I'm not getting into details, because I really don't know what to put!)

Kikyou stopped and looked around, not sure what to do now, untill Mokuba pulled at her hand. "Lets take the back exit, that way we can get out of here faster then waiting for the crowd to move." Kikyou nodded at his idea and let him lead her to the back exit. After finding the back exit they stepped into the ally in back of the museum. Mokuba pointed out which way they should go and they started walking to the exit out of the ally. After they took a turn around a corner there exit was blocked by a person in front of them, the only thing they could see under the hood was a smile.

Kikyou stepped in front of Mokuba and frowned. 'Its the same feeling from before, is this the person that was watching me?' Looking up at the shadowed face she couldn't see wether it was a man or a woman.

"Do you know this person?"asked Mokuba. Kikyou didn't reply. The hooded figure stepped toward them and Kikyou and Mokuba took a step back.

"So I see you still have it...You do know that you were never suppost to be awakened? And judgeing from your company, I guess that the Kabia brothers didn't know that, who would have guessed that they would have that kind of power? I wonder if it was the elder or the younger..."A deep voice said from behind the hood. A gloved hand reached out for Kikyou and she took another step back. A deep laugh was heard and the person's arm went back to his/her side. "You still wish to protect it even after all this time and all it has done for you. I guess once a priestess forever a priestess. If you give itto me freely now no harm will come to you or the boy."

'This person...he seems to know alot about me and the jewel. I'm not going to give it up now or ever, after all it has caused I can't take the risk no matter what! Plus he doesn't seem to have a weapon.' Thought Kikyou to herself. Shakeing her head no she waited to see what he would do.

"Kikyou does he know-" Started Mokuba until he sawthe robbed figuretake out a dagger. His eyes widened and Kikyou narrowed her eyes as she saw that this person was really serious.

"Well then I hate to do this, really I do, but you see, we won't take no for an answer, priestess Kikyou."

* * *

"It seems that I always run into you and your little group. What are YOU doing here?"

"Well we just came to see the new exibit, just like you, Mokuba, and Kikyou are." RepliedYugi.

"What, how do you know if that girl is here?" Asked Seto by turning around and giveing his back to him and his little group of friends.

"Come on Yugi lets go and see the rest of the exibit, I don't even see why you try to befriend this guy anyway." Added Joey by Yugi was still trying to get Seto to say something to him besides, "Would you just leave already?".

Tea looked around the museum. "Hey I haven't seen Kabai's girlfriend or his little brother...we saw them leaveing but you think they would have come back by now..."

Seto looked over in Tea's directiononce she was finished speaking. "Kikyou is not my girlfriend and what do you mean by that?"

Puzzled Tea looked to see if he truely didn't know. "Did you come here earlier? Because when we came a accident happened right in front of the front doors. No ones told to leave so they can find out what happened, it was quite confuseing, but in the end someone got seriously hurt. It seemed a little staged though because the man didn't even know who had attacked him and he was looking right at him, I guess being attacked by some crazy guy in a hood can be called a accident. But just by thinking about it now...the guy that got attacked had a hood too."

* * *

The hooded figure had tried to attack them with a dagger, they managed to dodge the first attack, but the second came at them unbelievely fast. After rolling out of the way Kikyou quickly checked Mokuba to see if he was hurt, finding nothing wrong with him she started to stand up but a sharp pain in her back stopped her.

"Kikyou your-" Kikyou didn't let Mokuba continue as she picked him up and dodged by another attack. Unfortantly dodgeing by rolling away from the dagger didn't help her stabed back. Kikyou looked over her shoulder to see a deep shallow cut across her back. Kikyou saw that she didn't have much time so she turned to Mokuba and pushed him over toward the back exit of the museum just as another slash of the dagger cut through where they were once kneelling. Dodgeing another attack Kikyou looked over toward Mokuba, hopeing that she could send a message with her eyes telling him to leave.

Mokuba got the message but ignored it by staying where he was, he was about to say something when the man turned toward him. Kikyou got used all the strength that she had and managed to take the blow of the dagger instead of Mokuba by sheilding him.

"Kikyou!"exclaimed Mokuba as he could see the blood from her wound in the shoulder dripping upon the ground.

Kikyou seeing that he won't leave without someway of knowing that she would be alright, no matter how false the hope was, wrote a fast message in blood on a torn out piece of notebook paper.

_"I'll be alright, its not a bad as it looks! Now go get your brother! GO!"_ Mokuba nodded his head and with one last look over his shoulder he ran off, leaveing Kikyou alone with her attacker.

'I doubt his brother would be any help, but I can die knowing he's safe. Since it seems that not only do I not have my weapons, but I don't have my powers either!'

* * *

Seto was about to leave the room of the exibit untill Mokuba came running in out of breath. Seto was about to ask what he why he was still here but he saw the blood stains on his clothes first.

"Mokuba-" he got inturpted by his little brother.

"Its Kikyou! There was this guy-in a hood-Kikyou-dagger-and she told me to get you-AND SHES HURT! SHE COULD DIE! YOU HAVE TO DO SOMETHING-NOW!"

"WHAT?"asked everyone in the room. (The "everyone in the room" list includes: Yugi, Joey, Tea, Honda,(I like his Japanese name better.) Kabia, and of course Mokuba.)

"You heard me! And Kikyou...she's hurt really bad! We have to help her! And we can't call the police, there never there on time and even if they are she'll be dead by then!"said Mokuba. Mokuba ran off as everyone followed toward the back exit of the museum and to where Kikyou was. Kneeling against the wall since she could no longer stand up, Kikyou left a bloody hand print as she tryed to rise up and dodge another attack. She tryed but just fell agaist the wall seeing that see was out of energy.

* * *

"This all could have been avoided if you could have just gave me-"he was interupted as a golden object flew into his head. As the object rolled toward Kikyou's feet she could see that it was a golden triangleular prism with a eye in the middle of it. Kikyou looked up as she heard a familer voice ring out through the ally.

"Well if there is one thing I'm good at in P.E its solfball!"Yelled Yugi as his arm fell back to his side. Kikyou smiled a little when she saw Seto and the trio that she had seen at the mall.

"Kikyou you're okay!" Mokuba exclaimedas he started running toward Kikyou. Seto stepped toward Kikyou also and then stopped in front of her and his brothers attacker.

"Who are you?"he yelled down at the hooded figure. The figure stood up to half its full height and started laughing.

"So this is now who stands ing front of me and my lords power, a little boy, a young business man, three teenagers, and a boy with a useless ancient puzzle? Not inculeding a former priestess who has lost her voice and her powers. You don't deserve to live for a second!"the hooded figure said, then he charged at Seto with his dagger still dripping with Kikyou's blood. Seto easily dodged and punched him in the stomach at the same time. The hooded figure fell on the ground in a bloody pulp. Seto smiled a small evil smile at the hooded man and then stepped on his hand, makeing the dagger fall out of it.

"I don't know who you are, but tell your "lord" that I don't care if he's the devil or the spawn him. I'm not going to stand around by you hurt those I care for, and as for that jewel, tell him to go to London Gold and buy a damn jewel so he can it stick where the sun don't shine!"Shouted Seto at the hooded man on the ground.

"You...you'll regret that...and you'll regret freeing that woman from her thousand year old sleep..." Said the hooded man as he finally stopped moveing.

"Is he dead?" Asked Mokuba.

"I'm not sure," Replied Seto."I just punched him, so he can't be..." Seto was about to say something else but right before everyone's eyes he disappeared in a flurry of black sand. Seto looked up on the roof of the museum when he heard a laugh above his head, only to see the man give him a wave of his hand, turn, and disappear.

"Who was he?" Asked Yugi as he touched the sand left on the ground from the figure that was just there. Seto was about to reply when he heard a low squeak. Turning to Kikyou he saw her smile and mouth the words thank you untill she went unconsince from blood loss. Seto ran over, kneeled in front of her and started to shake her shoulders.

"Kikyou!"

No reply.

"Kikyou, Kikyou, wake up!"

'Thank you for wakeing me up only to have me fall right back into the waiting hands of darkness...'

* * *

End of chapter 4. Thanks everyone for helping me out with your great reviews! I love you all! Well not love love, but you know, just friend love, and thats what all of you are! My friends for reading and reviewing or just reading. You reading and reviewing, or just reading, really helps!

Well lets go to songs you should listen to by reading. "You Gotta Feel Hav-OC remix" from the anime that I have yet to see, "Peace maker Kurogane" Soundtrack. I just like the beat, not the lyrics, since I don't know what they mean, just like I don't know the lyrics to alot of songs. :) And "Sayonara Solitaire", from another anime that I have yet to see "Chrno Crusade". But I'm not sure if thats how you spell it...but oh well. Also listen to...anything you want. Don't let me ruin your life! lol Just kidding.

Well in the next chapter we see about Kikyou's condition after the battle and somethings like what Kikyou really is is explained. Also more action and danger, as we see what can happen when a car chase goes wrong. You'll know what I mean in the next chapter, see you until then!


	5. Crazy

Well once again I am updateing. Well you guys know the drill so I won't tell you anything you already know. (Even through I may have forgotten a little bit...) This chapter is dedecatied to my lovely boyfriend (I'm also engaged to him! Yay!) Ja. I hope he wakes up out of his a coma soon...poor Ja...my thoughts and prayers are with you.

Kikyou: Ch 5: Crazy

I'm sinking, I'm falling, I'm...drowning?

Thats a werid sensation, after all, I'm not really drowning am I? No, I'm not. I have never experienced drowning or seen someone drown. Its just the feeling of that deep sinking called sleep.

I'm still conscious, I just can't wake up. And the voices above me seem like something far away, or in some foreign and exotic tongue.

What happened?

Where am I?

What happened to me?

Questions, questions, and very few answers.

I remember...paintings. Yes paintings drawn by the loving (or murdering, if takeing away someones right to live is murder) hand of my beloved.  
Or was my beloved. Somehow I hope he's dead. The basterd, after everything he did to me. He might as well have took a dagger and stabed it in my heart. I think I would have helped him with that, I got plenty to spare.

I also remember...a man. Quiet a character really. Why if I was half the woman I used to be, he would be dead by now and I would be reilshing in the fact that he was just another victim of my rage. But I'm not that woman anymore, I can't be.

Ahh, the glit of gold is what I also remember. The kind of gold that kings showed off to their subjects. And someones voice...someone telling me to wake up...

Where....am...I?

Kikyou blinked open her eyes, at first she was sure she had indeed gone blind instead of unconscious, but in a few seconds her vision cleared. The site that greeted her eyes suprised her.

She was standing in the ruins of her past life. It seemed like a cruel joke, but it wasn't. She could feel the heat of the fire behind and in front of her, she could hear the far away screams of people, she could see the ruined homes caused by some demons taste for blood.

Kikyou was about to question out loud if this was real, but all that came out was a dying squeak that caused her to cough up blood. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, and looked down at her torn modern garments. Through they were blood stained and ripped to shreads in several places, it was still the outfit from the modern time. From the time of her renecarnation.

It was the thought of her that made her snap her head up in time to dodge a clawed hand from ripping through her face, jumping back with ease (which was supriseing with how much blood she had lost) she looked up at the white haired demon in front of her.

Inuyasha smiled and rushed toward her again, she was too suprised to jump out of the way again. She closed her eyes as she waited for her death. But instead she was embraced into his strong arms instead.  
She blinked open her eyes, then closed them again. It didn't matter, the past could wait, she was right where she wanted to be. Even if she felt like she was going to cry from the memories...

Kikyou was faintly aware that in the distance, it seemed like someone was calling her name...

"Kikyou wake up! Please..."

Kikyou coughed and realized that her dream was over, she was back in reality. And that there was Mokuba crying over her head. She wondered how she didn't notice it sooner. Mokuba smiled slightly and she smiled back. It wasn't a big smile, but it was just the right amount of happiness that she could feel at the moment. Kikyou felt like she had let someone down.

"I thought you weren't ever going to wake up!"he exclaimed by hugging her. Kikyou hugged back and silently sighed. Great now she would have to deal with his big brother, how to break it to him that she had indangered Mokuba and that she was sorry.

But she really wasn't. She had found out all that she needed to know really. Like that the jewel was well known in this time too.

Looking around she could see the group from the mall that had helped in her "rescue". (she doesn't know there names yet) Along with Seto sitting and looking out the hopsital window. From the look of the building across from them, they were several stories up.

"Welcome back to the land of the living, "priestess"."said Seto mockingly when he finally looked at her. She would have glared at him, but in a way she thought she sort of deserved it.

After all, she should have told him. And she didn't exactly have time to explain as she sensed a familer presence in the building.

It was the man before, and there was more then him. She pushed Mokuba gently away and then looked around for the jewel, she found it on the table besides her bed then gathered the covers of her bed around her and rushed into the hospitals small bathroom to dress back into her clothes before anyone could question her.

She came back out and leaned against the door frame. Too much movement wasn't good for her wounds, even if they were almost healed.

"You shouldn't be standing up yet!"said Tea as she stood up from her chair. She started moveing toward her untill Kikyou glared at her.

She grabbed the notebook from her pocket (it was still there) and scribbled in big letters: _I know what my body can and can't do. Nows not the time._

If she felt sorry for being rude, she didn't feel it yet. She pushed passed her and Yugi who had stood up also. Standing by the window next to Seto, she looked down to see that they were father up then she thought.

"Some nice way of saying thank you you have."said Joey. Kikyou gave him a tired glance and didn't say anything.

Meanwhile...

Sitting in the information desk was a young woman of twenty. She had just graduated collage and was thinking of working her way up to a docters assistent. She was a only child and came from a respectable family, from a respectable side of town. She had freckles and laughed alot too. She was laughing when two hooded men stepped up to her desk. She smiled up at him, and he smiled coldy back at her.

"I'm looking for a Kikyou Kaiba, what room is she on?"he asked her. (Seto used his last name to get Kikyou in to the hospital)

The information lady frowned then told him: "I'm sorry but are you a family member? Mr. Kaiba (don't know what to put) told me that no one but family was to vist her."

The man frowned then reached a hand into his cloak and the hand came back out with a shiny silver gun in the palm of it. He pressed it in to the front of her head. "Now tell me which room she's in."

"Room 631."

He smiled. "Thank you."

Bang bang and the laughing information lady was no more.

"What was that!?"Yugi half asked/half yelled as he jumped 3 feet into the air. It sounded like gun shots. Kikyou frowned, Tea's face paled, Joey turned toward the door, Seto turned around and narrowed his eyes at the door, and Mokuba looked like his eyes were going to pop out of his face.

A few more shots were heard, closer this time. Seto ran across the room, jumped over the hospital bed and locked the door. Looking around the room he motioned for Yugi to hand him the table near the bed while Joey to hand him the chairs scattered across the room. Tea let out a yelp of fear and sat down on the floor rocking back and forth.

"I can't believe it, my life ends here...I'm never going to New York."she muttered to herself. Mokuba looked down at her and then looked at Kikyou.

"Can we throw her out the window or something, she's seen worse. Try haveing your soul sucked out of you, then you can mutter to yourself. There are worse things then dieing..."whispered Mokuba to Kikyou. Kikyou smiled as she got a idea.

Throw her out the window huh? How about all of them jumping out the window.  
Kikyou picked up Mokuba and gripped the jewel in one hand as she moved toward the window, and perpared to jump.

"What the hell are you doing!?"yelled Seto at her. A few more shots were fired and Kikyou decided to jump, they were right out in the hall now.

And besides, the jewel owed her its life with how many times she had protected it. Surely it wouldn't let its mistress die?

A voilet light surrounded her as she got outside the window and was about to fall to her death. With one final jerk, she was floating. She turned to the others and motioned with her hand for them to follow her.

"What are you nuts!?"yelled Joey at her in a shrill voice. Yugi stepped forward first and closed his eyes and jumped out the window. Suprisently, he floated as well, through he still held on to the window seal for a minute or two.

Seto sighed and stepped forward as well. "What have we too lose?"

Seto stepped toward the window and jumped out, followed by Joey, and a kicking a screaming Tea who didn't want to go but was dragged out the window anyway.

After they were all outside and floating, the door was kicked down, dispite the objects trying to keep it from opening. The hooded man from before, and 3 more members of his group crowded around the door.

"Where the hell is that little bitch!?"he shouted. He scanned the room angrly tell he finally got to the window. Grining a sinster smile he stepped forward and raised a gun toward it. Before they could move a shot was fired, aiming straight at the undead priestess.

Kikyou held up a hand and a sheild appeared, it disgrented the bullet instently. Leaveing nothing but a trail of smoke.

"Damn you! Do you think-"He yelled at the group. But before he could finish, they turned away from the window and started "flying" as fast as they could away.

After a few blocks of flying, Mokuba asked Kikyou: "Um...Kikyou how come you didn't do this before?"

Kikyou was about to reply, but was cut short as the jewel chose this moment to take its power back. And suddenly they were falling a hunderd stories to the ground.

'I'm going to die, I know I can't survive this time. I've been lucky so far...but...I-' Kikyou's thoughts were cut off by someone screaming into her ear. She reconzied the voice, it was Mokuba.

And suddenly, she realized that she envyed him. He COULD scream.

Closeing her eyes, so she wouldn't have to see the buildings flying past them in a blur, she tryed to think back to happy moments. The whole "life flashing before your eyes" thing didn't seem to be working now.

'I shouldn't be afraid of dying...but I am! I'm just too afraid that if I die, maybe this time I won't come back...And Inuyasha won't be waiting there...This is all his damn fault!! If he and Kagome hadn't-' She was cut off this time by someone's arms wrapping themselves around her waist. She looked up just to see Seto's face in front of hers, they were just inches apart.

"You know bro, this isn't the best time to kiss you know!"yelled Mokuba.

"KISS!? HOW THE HELL CAN YOU DO THAT AT A TIME LIKE THIS?! WERE GOING TO FUCKING DIE AND ITS ALL YOU PEOPLES FAULT!!! WAAAA I DIDN'T EVEN WANT TO GO TO THE MUSEUM TODAY!! WHAT KIND OF FUCKING DATE IS THAT?!"yelled (more liked screamed her head off) Tea.

"Yugi...this may not be the best time to say this...,"said the "other" Yugi. (He's talking inside his head, and does anyone know what his name is?) "But you got some strange taste in girlfriends. And would you please tell her to shut the hell up!!" Yugi glared at Tea and grabed her by the shoulders.  
"Tea, shut it already! Were going to die, do you think anyone cares what the hell Kikyou and Seto do!? And as a matter of fact, it was you that wanted to go! I wanted to get a burger! But does anyone give a rat's shit about what I want to do!? Huh miss perfect? No they fucking don't, so shut the fuck up and fucking deal with it!?"yelled Yugi at her.

"Wow Yugi, I guess a before death experience changes everybody!"exclamied Joey.

'Great, now I have to die by hereing them yell at each other.'thought Kikyou to herself. She glared at Seto and Seto glared back.

"The only reason why I'm this close to you is because I want to see you smashed into a pancake first! This is all YOUR fault, if you hadn't-"started Seto untill he was cut off by them falling into something.

That "something" was a hay truck.

"Yay! Were alive!"yelled Yugi. He smiled happily (almost too happily) and turned to look at Tea, who he was still holding onto. Tea was in shock, had gone limp, and was muttering "whatthefuckI'minhell" and other words over and over again. "Umm....Tea are you alright?"

Not getting a responce, Yugi shrugged and let go of her to look around.

While everyone was seeing if they were okay and hadn't wet themselves from almost dieing, Kikyou was smileing trumphintly into Seto's shocked (for once) face.

"Yay! Were not dead! Wow what a ride...we have to do that again someday!"shouted Mokuba as he jumped up and down for joy. He turned to Kikyou saw that Seto was still holding her. "You know, you can let go now big brother."

Seto go of her waist and stood up, Kikyou looked up at him and expected him to yell at her now that they were okay. Instead all he did was look down at her.

'Great...now he won't even talk to me. Maybe I deserve that, I almost got Mokuba killed...I almost got all of them killed, includeing myself. What kind of priestess am I? I should have never let this get out of hand! If I was half the person I used to be...' Kikyou thought sadly to herself as she looked down at the hay. Silently sighing, she finally stood up after a couple of minutes. She looked over to where Seto was still standing, and she started walking toward him until...

She fell, it seemed that useing the jewel still didn't come without a price. She fell forward, and Seto caught her.

"Hey whats wrong with her?"asked Joey. He ran over with the others to see what was happening when they saw her fall. Seto frowned and knelt and set her down on the hay. Bending over her, he checked to see if she was still breathing.

"She's alright, she's still breathing..."said Seto, measureing his words so Mokuba wouldn't get worried.

"You mean she's...not dead?"Mokuba asked hesitently. Kikyou was like a older sister to him, maybe she even meant more. He didn't want her to die so soon.

Tea smiled, for Mokuba's sake, and knelt down to his eye level and put a hand on his head. "She'll be just fine." Mokuba smiled and-

All of a sudden the truck stopped, jerking them all toward the front of it.

The driver came out and climbed up and looked in the back. "Well what do we have here, a couple of stowaways!"

The next five minutes was full of apoloygies for hitching a ride (since they couldn't tell them they had "fell" out of the sky) and Seto giving the man 50 bucks so he would shut up and not say anything about this.

"Well now what,"asked Joey as he looked around.,"I don't suppose were going to be safe just walking down the street like this. With Kikyou knocked out, Seto being the famous jackass that he is, and all of us looking like we just came off the farm, I doubt we can go unnoticed."

"We just gotta keep walking, actting normal untill we figure out what to do."said Yugi. Tea nodded and said nothing and Mokuba looked worrily (If thats even a word...) looked up at his brother and Kikyou, which was resting in his arms.

"Do you think those men are still after us? Or did we lose them?"

Unfortuntly, as soon as Mokuba said that he question was answered by screaming. Looking over their shoulders, they could see a crowd of people running...away from the sidewalk?

It didn't make any sense, untill they saw the black car that was going over the speed limit and heading their way.

"Oh shit!"exclaimed Joey as he turned around before the others and started running.

"NO NOT AGAIN!!"yelled Tea as she stumbled, almost fell, and then started running along with everyone else.

"There's no way we can out run it, we have to get inside a building or...better yet a car! Were close to the museum, and I think I saw your car parked outside it Seto. So if its still there, we should be able to get away!"said Yugi.

"Yeah that is is we MAKE it to the car!"yelled Seto at Yugi for his "bright" idea.

"Hey you guys, this isn't exactly the greatest time to play "who's better then who". Just keep running!!"yelled Mokuba at the both of them.

Behind the wheel of the car chaseing them, the man behind the wheel grinned. "Finally, my lord shall have what he has waited a thousand years to achive!" (guess who said that. the same guy that has been chaseing them all this time of course!)

As the car sped up Tea finally started to slow down untill she stopped completely. Turning over his shoulder Yugi grabbed her arm and tryed pulling her with him. She snapped her arm away from him and huffed out: "Just give it a rest Yugi! Were going to die, can't you see that? There's no way we can out run it now..."

"You idoit. Were that close to makeing it!"yelled Yugi at her. He jumped up and slapped her across the face. "Do you want to die? I didn't come here to. And I sure as hell didn't come here to hear you complain about it!"

"I hate to inturupt..."said Joey."But we are running out of time, and hey you guys. The cars right there."

At this Yugi's mouth dropped open and Tea slapped him. "You basterd, how dare you slap me! You could have said something romantic, like in the movies, THEN told me that the cars right there!"

Yugi didn't say anything, just looked in back of them, and started running toward the car, got in and started up the engine. Tea didn't understand why he was doing this, untill she looked over he shoulder and saw that now the car was only a few feet away from them.

She got in the car second, Joey took the passanger seat in the front and got in third, then Mokuba, Seto and Kikyou got in fourth.

Seto looked out the back window and then looked to Yugi in the driver seat. "How the hell-dammit I left my keys in the damn car! Never mind, look do you even know how to drive?"asked Seto.

"Yup, I sure do! Grandpa lets me drive his truck sometimes when we go out to vist family that live out of town."said Yugi with a big (and scary) smile plastered on his face.

"Greatttttt-"started Tea untill she was cut off as the car jerked to life and sped off down the road. With a manic grin on his face still in place, Yugi started brakeing the speed limit already.

Great and he doesn't even have his drivers liscense yet.

(I should enf the chapter here...but who the hell cares! Though the next part might remind people of such games that your mama don't want you to play, like Grand Theft Auto. lamo)

The other car gained speed as well. When traffic started getting in the way it zigged and zagged dangerously through the cars untill it was bumper to bumper with Seto's.

"So they want to play tough huh? This basterd has no idea who he's messing with!"exclamied Yugi as he put his foot harder on the gas peddle and started zigging and zagging through traffic himself, and at speeds which would make the traffic cop have a heart attack.

"I think I'm going to throw up..."said Joey slowly as he put a hand over his mouth. His face was starting to turn green too.

"You throw up in my car and I WILL push you out wether this car is moveing or not!"yelled Seto at him.

"Wow go faster Yugi! What a night? I got to fly through the sky, took a hay ride, and now were involved in a high speed chase! Could it get any better!?"exclamied Mokuba exthisasticly.

Tea started crying and cluting on to the back of Yugi's seat in a death grip. "If I ever get out of this, I am never touching another car for the rest of my life."she said in between sobs.

Meanwhile, in the head of Yugi, a very pissed off "other self" was openly complaining in the room of his soul. "Dammit! Why the hell did he have to solve this stupid sonofabitch Millennium Puzzle!? Now I'm going to have to die, AGAIN, and this time in a car accident! He doesn't know how to drive! His grandpa stopped teaching him when he ran over his nieces cow! Damn you Yugi!!"

By his "other self" was saying this (he can hear him you know) his grin grew even wider. Tell it looked like he was a manic that had exscaped from the loonly ben and had just murdered 13 people.

No make that 26 people.

In the other car chaseing them. The people, or whatever the fuck they are, were getting really mad. Grining in smile that could almost match Yugi's, the driver said: "Fine two can play this game you little basterd."

They both up there speed, and to the people watching on the street, it seemed like some twisted drag race.

"Hmmm, does anyone feel like listening to some music?"asked Yugi. When he got no reply after five seconds, he turned on the radio and started sifting through the channels tell some rock music started blareing. Turning on the volume he started insanely laughing.

"Why are you laughing!? This isn't funny Yugi!"yelled Seto at the now "insane" Yugi.

"Oh no reason, I just love this song. Don't you?"Yugi said in between laughs.

"Ummm....Yugi, turn your eyes back onto the road! A trucks ahead of us!"shouted Mokuba.

The truck ahead of them had stopped moveing since a police line was now set up to try to stop the two cars before someone got hurt.

Namely them.

Luckly for them all though, there was a slim chance of survival. The truck was a loading truck. And its boards to pick up, whatever the hell it need to pick up, were now out since the chain holding it back had broke. (if there is even such a truck in existince...)

Turning back around to look at the road, Yugi's grin widened and he uped the speed they were moveing at.

"What the hell?! You aren't seriously going to try to make that, are you Yugi!?"asked Joey, who by now looked like he had wet himself.

"Of course, why not? Its better to go out in a flameing pit of glory! Wahahahhahhah!!"responed Yugi.

"Holy shit! You motherfuckingbasterd Yugi your TRYING to kill us!!"yelled Tea. But nothing could stop Yugi now, not even if God himself came down and smacked him in the face. Or maybe that would work....(Basicly, he's crazy! Wahhahhahahha)

From all the shouting and the movement of the car, Kikyou woke up from the state the jewel had left her in. Looking around, she looked out the car window, then did something very unlike her.

She grasp Seto in a death grip, and squeaked a very high pitched squeak of terror.

This wasn't exactly how she planned to die.

'Oh God, I wish I was still asleep....'thought Kikyou to herself.

Seto was about to tell Kikyou to let him go, but when he looked down he saw that she was starting to faint anyway and didn't say anything.

"Yugi if we ever make it out of-"started Seto but he was cut off as they went flying through the air.

Yugi had made it onto the truck, now he was doing a dare devil stunt by trying to jump over a row of police cars.

And if he didn't make it....well they would fall on the cars, start a explosion, and die horribly and probably scream as the fire licked away at the flesh on their bodies.

But the good point of this was that the other car had stopped chaseing them, since they seemed to have the good idea and know that that stunt was too dangerous even for them to try.

Meanwhile, while everyone was thinking that they were finally going to meet there maker. Kikyou tryed to snap out of fainting. (from the jewel sapping her energy and from the current situation) She reached out a hand and tryed to make another sheild by useing the jewels energy.

'Please work...even though there is a slim chance. The Shikon no tama only works when it wants to and every wish you have to pay for...yet I'm not ready to die, at least not yet.'

A voilet sheild surrounded the car and when they finally, were roughly forced by gravity to land, they came out of it without a scratch.

Kikyou fainted and Yugi kept driveing but, for once without his manic grin.

When Yugi finally pulled up in front of the Kaiba corp building, it was almost 12:00. It seemed like they had been racing for there life for several hours.

"Well now wasn't that a pleasent ride?"asked Yugi as everyone got out of the car. Joey turned to throw up on the curb and after Tea finally stop shakeing, she turned on Yugi and yelled in his face:

"Pleasent!? YOU CALL THAT PLEASENT!! If you EVER do something like that again, I will slap you tell you die!"

Seto turned to walk through the doors, then turned around and spoke in a flat, monotone voice to Yugi. "What I was going to say back there was, Yugi if we ever make it out of this alive, I will make sure that you never recieve a drivers licesne. That and I'll make sure you have a nice seat in hell, your little stunt almost got us killed."

"Yeah,"said Joey now that he had finally turned away from his task of throwing up."But we did get out of ther alive because of that "little stunt"."

"Whatever." And with that Seto turned around and walked inside. Mokuba soon followed afterwards after saying:

"Wow what a ride...I want to grow up and drive like that!"

"See? At least someone likes my driveing!"

"Yeah and I can see why!"exclamied Tea by rolling her eyes.

(End chapter)

Okay well I have to end the chapter now for two reasons: 1. Because I have a cold and have to go to bed now before it gets worse. 2. Because I now just flipped through the pages of my mind (where I store all my fics that I have yet to write and future chapters too) and figured out that this isn't exactly a long fanfiction so far. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure it will be long and its not ending soon. Its just that I have a writers block on chapters for this after let me see....(starts counting chapters)....4 more chapters after this one! Gasp, how did I crawl myself into a block on this story!?

Oh well, thats still 4 more chapters. And they will get more and more exciteing! Yay!

Next chapter: Kikyou explains all and Seto and her have a moment.

So expect some boring parts, like when Kikyou explains her past, and some good parts, like when Seto and her have a "moment" alone.

Wahahhah leave a review and you will be happy forever, leave a flame and I will send Yugi to drive you to hell!


	6. Explanation

Jazz7: (groan) I'm sooo bored! Really folks, if I got any boreder I would probably think about makeing some insane fic that would make the whole world want to kill me...

Happy (and ignorant) side of Jazz7: Ummmmm...haven't you already done that?

Sad (and despressing) side of Jazz7: Yeah she did...And we got all those horrible flames...

Angery side of Jazz7: Oh f them and their little dogs too! Who the hell cares? Flame me! I don't give a f-

Good side of Jazz7: (gasp) Don't use lauguage like that!

Bad side of Jazz7: Oh and you're so innocent aren't you little miss perfect...

Jazz7: Guys...Kindly shut the hell up! I tell you reader, being a Gemini is hard.

Kikyou: No being YOU is hard.

Jazz7: Point taken. Well whatever, lets start this already! Oh and I just forgot I haven't really put up a disclamier in my chapters so here ya go...

Disclamer: I do not own anything incept my very odd persnalitys and my fanfiction. That and if you want to sue me go ahead. All I have it two cats, 6 dollars, and one insane little b of a computer. Which you would have to pry off my dead, rotting, fingers off before you could have.

Well since I think the fic I'm updateing is "Kikyou", I won't go through the rules. If you've been reading this story all the way up to now, you know all that crap. So there! hahahahha

Oh and before I forgot, one of my reviews (through I can't remember the name for the life of me and I'm too lazy at the moment to look it up. Sorry reviewer!) said that I should read a fic called "Dangerous Games". It was um...interesting to say the least. And I felt like I was reading some crossover that the likes of me would make. Since before it I thought only I thought of the impossible. But I didn't really like it. Call me stupid or whatever but it just seemed werid and a little...odd to me...(that and I probably should have read the first fic that went with it...) I'm sorry but I just didn't like the Seto/Joey's sister pairing. I hate it so much I joined the hatelisting along with the Tea and Tea/Seto pairing hatelisting. That and I don't know, maybe I was looking for something to ACTUALLY happen between Kikyou and Seto.

Through the writing itself was nice and the authors great. :)

Warning: Extreme amouts of "I don't know what I'm writing" and Seto/Kikyouness abound...Leave now before you fall dead before me! hahahahmawahahmwahhaha

That and before my authors notes get any longer...Thank you all you wonderful reviewers! Even the bitches and basterds that flame me! That and the people that reviewed "Darkness" (which you should read and has nothing to do with this fic) for makeing the reviews on that fifty! The highest number I have ever recieved!

Lets start the chapter.

Kikyou: Ch 6: Explanation

_I do not have to explain my reasons to you...Nor do I have to sit here and tell you who I am..._

Seto frowned, just like a woman to make things diffucult. Kikyou frowned also and looked up into his ice blue eyes, she didn't want to tell him because she knew his reaction.

A demon? A soul stealing witch had been takeing care of his little brother? Why Yugi, lets take up some torches and pitch forks and send her to hell!

That or worse, he would make her feel guilty. Like she had commited a huge unforgivable sin for that witch makeing her live and feel again...

Wait...Since when did she feel again?

Seto leaned over her and grasped the armrests of the chair she was sitting in. Leaning in close to her face he spat at her: "Are YOU listening to me? I won't take no for a answer...Priestess."

The last word "priestess" was spat out with enough hatred to actually hurt. So he did hate her...

"Aren't you being a little hard on her Seto?"asked Joey. Him and the rest were still around, they didn't think it was safe to be alone after what happened, that and they were better in numbers. And curiousity is one of mans greatest traits.

"Shut it Wheeler."said Seto, turning away from Kikyou for a moment to look at the said man. And for once, Joey didn't say anything. (note: "Shut it" is my word, so I better not see anyone else useing it. lol)

Kikyou took this moment to press herself deeper into the arm chair she was sitting in, she didn't cower from him, it was more like she wished she wasn't there. Something about his anger made her uneasy.

He was more like a infuriated dragon, always quick to anger and attacking anything close to it.

And for the moment the person close to him was her.

Mokuba turned away from the scene of his current caretaker and brother glareing at each other to the tv, turning it on he found that it was already on the news channel.

"In a bizarre turn of events tonight, it seems that not only was a accident at a local museum unsolved, but a hospital was attacked too. From with in hours of the museum! That and it seems that some kind of cult of some sort is responsible for both incidents. Sixteen people were killed in all tonight along with a drag race that almost ended in tragedy, through finding the people resonsible is a bit diffucult since they were driving to far over the speed limit for police to see the license plate number." The female news reporater on the tv said. Seto sighed and Yugi smiled.

"See? My driveing was good for something!"

"Yeah,"Tea replyed,"For almost getting us killed!"

Yugi looked hurt, Yami laughed inside his head (thank a kind reviewer for giving me the name. Thanks alot pal. :) ), Joey looked ill from the memory, and Mokuba laughed also while Tea just glared at Yugi. Finding it all his fault from beginning to end. If she had only stayed in that hospital room, than at least she would be dead so she wouldn't have to remember that "flight" through the air and the streets. Not to mention the "Indiana Jones" style of running on the sidewalk.

Seto meanwhile had turned back to Kikyou and leaned himself further into her and the chair, getting right up into her face. "Talk now priestess before I lose my patientce with you."

Kikyou, not one to be given orders or follow them, just glared and turned her head defiantly up to glare at him. Not careing that if she moved a little more she would be brushing lips with his.

'How can I talk...I don't have a voice...'she thought to herself, half hopeing that one of his powers would be the ability to read peoples thoughts so that he could really see how stupid he was. Grinning from the thought, Kikyou unlatched one of his arms from the armrests and Started to stand up, brushing her face past his in the movement. He wanted his explnation, she was going give it to him. To all of them.

_You all know what I am don't you? A priestess, one that has lived for over a thousand years. Through the explanation might not be what you want to hear. But, it seems I have no choice. This jewel and me are connected. Those people want it because of the legend connected with it. _Wrote Kikyou, she paused for a moment with her pencil in her hand after they had read what she had to say. Then she turned toward the tv and wrote for five minutes what she had to say. Turning back around she walked up to Seto and handed him her notebook and left the room, not wanting to see their reactions.

Seto looked down at the paper and read the first words on it: _Read it out loud to the others. _Not being much of a story teller, he stood where he was with the paper in his hand until Mokuba asked him to start reading. Seto sighed then started reading.

"It would be easier to get to the point and tell my side of things, but I doubt you all would understand if I didn't explain everything. I will start at the beginning. My name is really Kikyou and I lived, truly live, almost over a thousand years ago, and this is my story..."

(okay, here starts the bunch of information you already know part that happens in alot of crossovers. So read it or skip it people. That and I'm going to do what some movies do, and that is that when the person starts reading someone's life story it switchs to where you get to actually see what there reading even if they aren't seeing it...Hard to explain, just read.)

Standing on in the middle of a field Kikyou looked around and then sighed. He was late, he was never late. That was one of the things about Inuyasha, he kept his promises. So where was he?

'Maybe he has second thoughts...'she thought to her self then dismissed it. Inuyasha really seemed like he meant what he said when he said that he would become human for her. Only then could they be truly together and they could stop hiding what they felt. Through another doubt was now flooding her system.

What if he didn't like being human? What if he ditched her? What if this was another plot to get the Shikon no Tama. She dismissed these thoughts too and went on to wondering what time it was and if anyone was going to notice that she had taken the Shikon jewel. Which was currently sitting in the plam of her left hand.

Unfortantly the young priestess was too abosorbed in her thoughts to notice the presence right behind her until it was too late and it had ripped it's claws right through her shoulder and lung.

Bleeding, she fell on the ground with a thud, the jewel flying from her left hand and dropping right in front of her. She reached out a hand toward it but a foot stepped on her hand and stopped her from actually reaching it and a familer voice said: (haven't watched in awhile so might be wrong)

"Thank you Kikyou for delviering this to me."then what she thought as Inuyasha laughed and took the jewel and left her bleeding in the middle of the field.

(switching to Seto reading.)

"Through I didn't know it at the time, it wasn't really Inuyasha at all, instead it was Onugimo. The very man who I had been taking care of because of his sever burn wounds. I had failed to notice that he was starting to lust after me and forgot to remember that men in lust after any power or thing would to whatever was nessisary in order to obtain the object of their desires. Even if that meant letting demons eat off his flesh and possess him..."

(Seto stopped talking and I'm hope I'm not confuseing you. S/T will mean he's talking, F/B will mean flashback. Okay?)

"Die Inuyasha!"Kikyou yelled as she finally caught up to Inuyasha and pinned him to the God tree. (I hope thats what it's called.) Closeing her eyes and trying to block out his last words, which had been her name, and his face sad and angry betrayed face, as if it had been her that had betrayed him, she fell to the ground clutching her wound. This was it, she would die. Looking to her little sister Keade she asked her to take care of the jewel and forgive her for leaveing her alone, then she slowly died. Her last wish being to go to hell and meet Inuyasha their where hopefully they would end up being together once again.

(S/T)

"When I died I held the foolish hope that I would meet Inuyasha again. But instead fifty years passed and I was reincarnated into a young girl from this time named Kagome, but it seemed that fate wasn't finished with me. Useing my grave soil and bones a witch named Ursula revived me into a nothing more then a clay shell resembleing what I used to be..."

(F/B)

"Inuyasha, why did you betray me?!" She heard her answer to her question but didn't really hear it, the feeling of haveing a body and a soul again still remained new to her but her old feelings resided even over that. The next few moments passed in a blur. Somehow the girl named Kagome had regained part of her soul, leaveing the hate and 1/4 of her sould remaining. She had ran away before the girl could take the rest and Inuyasha had followed, she had fell. Now she was living again but only for her revenge, for Inuyasha to get what he deserved in hell and to be with him again.

(S/T)

"When I was forced back in this world all I could live off was my hatered and the souls of young woman. For some time I believed that Inuyasha did betray me and even when I found the out the truth that did not break my hatered, since it was the only thing keeping me alive. Through there were somethings that kept me alive also, my hatered for Naraku and the jewel being broken into pieces and scartered around thanks to my foolish copy. But when those problems were over I discovered that Inuyasha really did betray me..."

(F/B)

Through it was over and she should feel grateful that Naraku was dead. She couldn't, not after being slammed into a tree by the one she loved.

The wood that flew up in splinters from the force of her body slamming into the tree cut into her clothing and her back hurt like hell, but what really mattered was the crazy look in Inuyasha's eyes. Over Inuyasha's shoulder she could see Kagome pick up the jewel from Naraku's remains and walk over to where her and Inuyasha was. Kagome said a spell and the tree warped and melted itself around Kikyou until it was holding her in place.

Kagome smiled and Kikyou narrowed her eyes, so this was her plan all along huh? To trick and twist Inuyasha's mind into commiting this? It seemed that Kagome had a mind that Naraku himself would favor.

Sorry Kikyou but its better this way. Really it is. See you get to still have your half of my soul and you don't need souls anymore since you will live off of the jewels energy." said Kagome with a smile.

"Damn you." said Kikyou. Her voice full of hatered.

"Do you want that to be your last words?" said Kagome. Before Kikyou could reply, she stepped up to her and put the Shikon jewel around her neck while muttering a spell. Kikyou felt her neck constrict like someone was chocking her, then a crushing pain around her voice box as blood came up in her mouth and slowly slid down the corner of her mouth. Inuyasha stepped up to her and wiped it away and kissed her on the check. Then stepped back with Kagome to let the spell run its course. Kikyou felt herself falling asleep as she relized it was the same spell she had used on Inuyasha, so long ago. She tried asking him why, but she found she couldn't speak as a faint feeling of fear came over her.

Through half closed eyes she saw Inuyasha walk away with his arms around Kagome, as she fell asleep.

(S/T)

"And now I stand before you. Kagome was right, I no long have to live off souls or keep my hatered. Incept my hatered keeps me and this isn't really living, I'm still one of the damned undead, but now I'm a puppet of the Shikon no Tama once again. I still have to protect the jewel too and now those people are after it. It's my fault for getting you into this, but I had no choice! Would you really have believed me if you hadn't seen with your own eyes what the jewel can do?"

"She has a point."said Yami who had taken a brief control over Yugi for the moment."We would not have believed her, even if some of us aren't of this time either...But the point remains...What are we to do now?"

"Well we could try sticking together..."said Tea by getting closer to Yami who backed away from her and tried to pretend she wasn't in the room. (in the manga Tea has a thing for Yami. Damn bitch...)

"Yeah that might work! And if anyone trys to attack Kikyou or us again I'll protect you guys!"exclaimed Joey by beating a hand against his chest.

Mokuba raised a eye brow and looked at him as if he had got to be jokeing. "Like you tried the last time? That was just wonderful with you throwing up in the gutter and screaming like a girl..."Mokuba said with a slight laugh while Joey glared at him.

Seto put the papers Kikyou had handed to him on a coffee table and then watched Mokuba exit the room while a enraged Joey tried to think of something smart counter insult. Sighing Seto turned and looked out one of the windows in the large room to look at the night sky. 'I should have known, everything has to do with magic. I'm getting to old for this...'Kabia thought to himself and then sighed again.

Meanwhile Kikyou was awaiting the either good or bad news about how they took her little "confession".

Kikyou walked into the same kitchen that she had cooked breakfast that morning and stared out the kitchen window. 'I knew this was coming, I just thought I would be gone before I would have to explain...' Shakeing her head from side to side Kikyou contradicted her thoughts,'No. I knew that I wouldn't be leaveing, how can I survive in a world I no longer know? To much time has passed. Plus, I with the way things were. I had something new to protect, I had something new to care about, and through I wasn't really wanted, I has some place where I felt safe in. I haven't had that feeling since before I died.'

Closeing her eyes Kikyou tried to picture her life before she met Inuyasha and the life she had after she met him, before Onigumo.

She couldn't do it. Everything about her life before she was dead was hazy like a good dream lost upon wakeing. All she had were feelings, hate, love, happiness, silence, power...But she couldn't see the pictures that went with those feelings. Was this what Inuyasha remembered after those fifty years and even now?

Her eyes filled with tears and she felt like crying...but she held the tears back. Crying was a sign of weakness, giving in to emotions would make you weak and vulnerable. Even now showing emotion was a hard thing to do. 'Crying wouldn't help, neither would looking and being weak. Every time I give in to my feelings something terrible happens! If I hadn't been so weak, I could have seen past Inuyasha's facade that day and I wouldn't be here!' Kikyou thought to herself by wipeing her eyes.

Kikyou looked toward the open window again and gazed at the stars then left the room to head for her bedroom. She was still a little weak from all the energy she used tonight, it would be better to deal with their reactions in the morning.

By walking the long hallways alone until she found her room and by dressing into her black night gown Kikyou thought about Seto's reaction to what he read. She took the white ribbon that she wore out of her hair and was perpearing to go to sleep when Mokuba burst into the room.

"Sorry Kikyou! It's just that I was looking everywhere for you and couldn't find you so I thought you wouldn't be in here! Where were you?"

Kikyou smiled slightly at his innocence, if only childern never grew up. Kikyou quickly wrote on a scrape of paper that she needed to get some rest and Mokuba nodded.

"I understand, it was scary when you passed out,"said the young boy as he quickly crossed the room and embraced the woman in front of him,"don't do that again! Alright?"

Kikyou nodded her head and hugged him tighter.'I don't plan on it...If I had kept useing the jewel it would have destoryed me...'

Mokuba looked up at Kikyou and asked her:"Why didn't you tell me earlier about yourself? Did you think me and my big brother couldn't handle it? I'm not a baby..."

Kikyou smiled slightly again at his innocence and put a hand on his cheek and shook her head slowly in a no.

"Then what?" Upon asking, Kikyou broke apart from him and wrote: _I didn't know how to tell you or if it was important at the time._

It wasn't the complete truth, but it satisfied him so he smiled at her and tugged on her left hand. "Come on, lets get something to eat and then maybe we can play a game! This time I won't lose!"

Kikyou smiled and nodded her head yes, letting him lead her to where ever he wished. 'Not like you were loseing before anyway.'she thought to herself as she was dragged out of the room.

Meanwhile...

Seto was in his private office thinking things over. The others had picked out rooms for the night and were currently sleeping. Only him, a few staff that were there, Mokuba, and Kikyou were awake.

Seto's eyes once again fell upon Kikyou's written words. Through one part of him wanted to dismiss what he had read, another part wouldn't leave him alone.

'After all I've seen, would it be so hard to believe that she came from the fedual era and is in fact undead? Lets make a list of all the unexplained things that you have seen and happened to you, shall we? You've been in a coma two times after something that can't be explained, you've dueled with a centuries old pharaoh, you're "suppositly" the renecarnation of a priest that dueled against said pharaoh, you've been inside a vitural world that you've created, and now you have awakened a undead priestess and experienced flying across the sky!'

What more proof did you need?

Seto glared at the priestesses hand writting, this wasn't how he had expected to spend his summer. Why did SHE have to come into his life? The last thing he needed was a couple of hood wearing goons to come and almost kill all of them. That and have to deal with her arrogance, silence, saddness, beauty-

He stood up with a snarl, he was not interested in the dead. Why he has every good reason in his mind to kick her undead ass out the door and let those hooded men rip her apart.

Walking quickly toward the door he planned to do just that, turning the brass door nob he stopped when a image popped into his mind.

Kikyou bloody, smileing after getting his attention with a low squeak. Mouthing the words thank you until she went unconscious from blood loss.

No, he couldn't do that. Even if he really wanted to, the priestess needed him just as much as he needed her. Maybe even more. He was cold hearted, that was true, uncareing, also true, but to just let her die when she was defenseless? No, that wouldn't be right just like throwing her out into the cold wouldn't be right.

After all, maybe if was fate that had brought them together. Or maybe it was something so much more.

Plus his brother would kill him. Or try to at least.

Sighing, then smileing a little, Seto set off in search of his brother and the priestess which he adored.

Seto finally found Mokuba and Kikyou when he walked past Mokuba's room. Both of them didn't know he was in the hallway and Kikyou had her back to him while Mokuba was in bed about to go to sleep. The older woman was tucking his brother in to bed and Mokuba was telling her something. Seto walked quitely up to the door way and leaned against the frame of the door as he listened in on the conversation.

"I'm glad everything happened the way it did Kikyou-I mean-I'm sorry that everything bad happened to you and all that but...um"

Kikyou smiled at Mokuba. Mokuba sighed and then continued.

"What I'm really trying to say is that I'm glad you're here. Even though I understand how serious all this is, I'm still glad it happened. I'm happy I met you."

Kikyou tucked the cover all around him and smiled again at the young boys words, at least he didn't hate her.

"But I know that Seto and you don't get a long, just give him some time. I know he's a little cold, but he's nice once you get to know him. I'm sorry if he's been mean to you. My big brothers just like that."

Kikyou smiled a sly smile in the back of her mind and thought, 'Whose been mean to who?'

Mokuba yawned and closed his eyes as Kikyou turned off the lamp on the nightstand besides his bed. "Goodnight Kikyou."

Kikyou nodded her head in response then leaned over and kissed the top of his head. She waited a few moments, then turned to take her leave when she saw Seto standing in the door way. She frozen in her tracks in suprise and stared at him for a minute then blinked and stepped toward him.

Seto stood to the side and let Kikyou enter the hallway. He thought she was going to continue to her room when she turned around and looked him in the eyes. They stood stareing at each other until he got the feeling that Kikyou wanted him to say something.

'Just say something dammit! Say you hate me! Say it!' Kikyou thought silently to herself. Seto leaned against the wall in back of him and crossed his arms across his chest, all the while looking away from Kikyou's heated gaze. Sighing Seto finally spoke what was on his mind.

"Do you know how much I hated you when I saw and realized what had happened between you and that hooded basterd in that alley? What were you thinking! You could have-" Kikyou cut him off by quickly going up to him and grabbing his right arm.

"What the hell are you do-" Kikyou cut him off again by glareing at him and turning her head toward Mokuba's room. Seto looked toward the door way to his room then nodded his head. They could, and would, talk about this. Just not here, not in Mokuba's presence. Through he was growing quickly and knew much more then the average child, there were just somethings he still did not and wouldn't know about till he was older.

Kikyou saw that she got her point across and let her hands drop from his right arm. She turned slightly and started walking toward her assigned room when she felt Seto grab her hand.

"We still are going to talk about this, follow me."Seto said softly then started leading her in the opposite direction of her room while Kikyou let him lead. Normally she would have yelled-"squeaked" at him until his ears bleed. But tonight she was too tired to go into another round of fighting with him and let him lead her in the unfamiler hallways of his home.

Seto lead her deeper into the building until they were in the older section. The hallways around them were full of dust and pictures with either the building they were in in them or some unfamiler person which Kikyou took as Seto's father. She noticed that through she looked at these color or black and white pictures with interest he didn't even give them a passing glance. Almost like he was avoiding them. If she had had a voice she would have asked why, luckly for her she didn't.

Finally he stopped in front of twin oak whitewashed doors decorated with gold patterns set into the wood. He let go of her hand to open both of the heavy doors and Kikyou held the hand he had been holding close to her heart. That was the longest anyone had held any part of her since Inuyasha.

Seto got the doors open and alowed Kikyou to go first. She walked inside the room and looked around in amazement at the room around her.

Large would be the understatment, in fact it was almost as large as a football stadium. The white and gold room had a dome shaped ceiling (don't ask how that is possible in a building like that) decorated with paintings that were too high up to make out, a large pure solid cyrstal chandler, and a large balcony that looked out and down on to another room in the building.

Seto smiled when he saw Kikyou's mouth drop open slightly and her eyes scan the room. "Like it? It's a testment to my foster fathers wealth. When he built this place he wanted somewhere to show off along with a old age staple of someone wealth. So he built this ballroom."

Kikyou didn't know the term "ballroom" or "foster", but she did understand that his father had a lot of wealth. And just like the emperor, he wanted to show it off. She nodded slightly at he words and then looked once more at the ceiling.

Seto walked into the room and looked around at the dusty floor and walls himself. A melancholy look passed over his face and he said more to himself then to her: "I always come here to think, I guess it's natural, power is attracted to power. And what more of a better place to think then a room where "he" practacly flaunted his riches?"

Kikyou turned to him, puzzled at his words, and saw his slightly sad expression. Her eyes softened slightly, it seemed he wasn't as cold as he looked. She walked across the room to him slowly and carefully, so she wouldn't slip on the dusty floor. Upon reaching him she gave another mouse like squeak (since that was all she COULD say) to get his attention.

That brought the memory of what they were going to talk about back to his mind and Seto looked at Kikyou in front of him and took a step back.

"I didn't come here just to "show off", I came to talk about you and today. As I said before, What WERE you thinking!? You could have got Mokuba killed! Did that EVER come to your mind!? What if he had died!?"

Kikyou felt like someone had punched her in the stomach from his words and took a step back. She recovered from his words and glared at him. 'Oh really!? Like I didn't know that! At least I was there! Where were YOU? I bleed for your brother you basterd and this is the thanks I get!?'

"More importantly you could have killed us all!? You got innocent people involved too! Or didn't you hear the news priestess? Or whatever the hell you are. If I had known about this before I would have done more then kicked you out!"

Another shocking blow and this on actually hurt, Kikyou knew that people had been killed tonight thanks to her, but she didn't think he would stoop so low. And then to say "whatever the hell you are", why doesn't he just punch her across the face and get it over with?

She felt her eyes fill with tears and held them back with a angry glare, she wouldn't give him the statisfaction. Kikyou turned quickly around to leave the room, a little too quickly in fact.

She could feel her foot slipping and herself falling side ways before she realized what was happening. Kikyou perpared herself for her body hitting the cold, dusty marble floor. But the impact never came, instead two strong arms wrapped around her midsection and pulled her toward the body connected to them.

Kikyou didn't have too look up to tell who it was that was holding her and didn't want to with the light blush spreading across her pale features. His arms were right under her breasts and the position they were in looked more suggestive then the one they were in when she first woke up.

If she had looked up she would have seen Seto blushing slightly also.

After a few moments of silence Kikyou turned around in Seto's arms to look up at his face. He gazed back at her unblinking for a few seconds and neither of them said a word.

'This wasn't how things were suppost to turn out...'Seto thought to himself.

'Why doesn't he say anything?'Kikyou thought to herself.

Kikyou stared up into his ice blue eyes questionabley and Seto slowly unwrapped his arms from around her. Kikyou pushed herself away from him and started backing away from him when she slipped again and fell back into his arms.

'Dammit, why don't I get janitors to clean up this room!'Half of himself thought.

'You know this is just where you want her...The only reason why your here anyway is so you can tell her-"

"Shut up."Seto growled out harshly to his other half of his mind, forgetting that Kikyou was there. Kikyou looked up at him confused, angry, and a little hurt since she hadn't said anything (and couldn't) to begin with. Seto looked down at her and sighed. "Not you, I mean-look lets just forget it okay?"

Kikyou nodded and Seto loosened his grip on her to result in him falling toward her a little. It seemed his foster fathers ballroom just wouldn't let up.

Seto looked down at Kikyou as she looked up at him. They were close, too close. If one leaned toward the other, they could close the four inches that was between their faces.

'Maybe this is alright, after all you really were mad at her because she could have died also. You could have both died. And then what? Nothing thats what. You're once again in a situation where you could be dead tomorrow, maybe all you really have is tonight..."one part of Seto told him. Through he may hate her, and she him, they were both alike. And maybe tomorrow was too far of a goal and all they really did have was tonight.

Seto leaned toward Kikyou and closed alittle bit of the distance between them while Kikyou held on tighter to Seto's shirt. They were going to close all of the distance when a loud crash broke the both of them apart and sent them to the floor in a pile of dust.

Seto got up and looked toward Kikyou, who was to the side of him, to see if she was alright. Kikyou laughed, even though no sound came out, and looked at his dust covered body. Whatever they were about to do was quickly forgottened. Seto stood up quickly and angerly brushed the dust off his body. He walked toward the baclony and stood looking down at the show room for the new models and other such equipment.

Looking down he could see what had caused the crash, a janitor was cleaning one of the models when it fell and broke.

"Sorry Mr. Kabia! I really am! I didn't even know you were up there and, and, and-"

"That's alright!,"Seto said between clenched teeth."Just get the hell out you imbecile!"

"But, but..-"

"NOW!"

The man quickly left and him and Kikyou were alone again. He looked toward Kikyou to see her dusty yet smileing. She walked toward him and brushed some dust off his white overcoat. Smileing up at him she silently laughed again then walked toward the door.

"Wait."Seto called after her. Kikyou stopped and turned around with a suprise look on her face. Seto continued seeing he had her attention. "I wanted to continue this discussion, but it's pretty much ruined. But you get the point right? You can stay, but not because I have a bleeding heart. But only because I don't trust those "men" with that pretty jewel around your neck. That and ONLY that is the reason while you are still here. You understand that, Kikyou?"

Kikyou nodded her head and turned to go. Seto sighed and then spoke again. "That and don't do that again, you worried me back there. I thought you were going to die."

Kikyou smiled sadly and opened one of the twin doors. 'And I too thought you were going to die also...'

(Chapter end)

How did you like it? Good I hope! :) Sorry it's taken so long for me to update, it's just that I don't update something unless I'm feeling 100 and if I'm in the right mind to do it. That and work and family comes first. So if you don't like it too bad. :P

I used some parts in the manga. Like the part where it reads he went in a coma twice. Well the first time he met Yugi in the manga he got his ass beat-I mean-"lost" to him in a duel and had to experience some kind of weird monster like coma death. o.0 Then when they faced off again in the manga he lost to Yugi again and went in a coma till he could "piece back together his heart" and become his old self before his foster father turned him into a "monster". I got the impression that Seto hated the basterd, and with good reason too. After all, who would like to be tortured into studying all day? I can't even go through a whole day of studying something. If I was beat with whips and locked up to study I would probably die. Poor Seto. But the part about the ballroom I made up for story purposes, but I thought it was pretty cool. To me a ballroom symbolises power and the owner showing off. It takes a lot to make a room like that and a room like thats important. You can show things off in it, dance, and even make important converstation. That and the sheer size of it and the wealth in the decorating is quite amazeing. I would get one if I was rich, but I'm sadly poor. :(

Oh well. In the next chapter we see action my way, bloody, suspensful, and someone almost dieing. Heres the summary for the next chapter!

Summary: Kikyou has a permonition (look if up if you don't know what the word means) that Seto's going to get killed by one of the men after the Shikon no tama. Shaken, but determined that it's just a dream she tells no one about it and continues trying to pretend everythings normal. But when Joey, Mai, Joey's sister, and Honda get kiddnapped by the same people that are after the Shikon no tama. Yugi, Tea, Kikyou, and Seto are sent to rescue them. When they are lead to a abandon fair ground, Kikyou wonders if that dream may turn into a reality...

Yay! The chapter I have been waiting for since I decided to make this! If you're skipping chapters don't! The next one is one that you won't want to miss.

Well...hopefully it is.

Goodnight and Happy late Thanksgiving!

Review please. :)


	7. Awaken

**Author's Note:** Ah, I haven't updated in quite a while. Quite a long, long, while actually. Sorry about that. Anyway, I might as well have a excuse. I was hoping to update everything at once, and then I started on a new fanfic, and then life caught up to me. Sorry.

Also, before I begin I might as well come out and say it. I don't watch the Yu-Gi-Oh anime and I haven't been keeping up with the manga outside of the magazine because of money issues. But this won't interfere with the story since the plot of the manga doesn't really interact except for the current story-line (Millennium World), and that is briefly touched upon like you'll see in this chapter. But actually, the only thing I'm taking is the reincarnation thing, everything else was created for the story plot of this fan-fiction. So you don't have to be a Yu-Gi-Oh wiz to understand this, in fact you don't have to have any Yu-G-Oh knowledge. But you do have to know the basics of the Inuyasha story line.

Also, this story is quite dark. Did anyone else notice that? Some scenes in this are stuff that would never be added to either Yu-Gi-Oh or Inuyasha. The situation itself is quite frighting. Stuck trapped in a building because evil cult people are after you, armed with only a gun, a magical jewel , and several gorgeous boys... (drool) Sorry, I usually don't go into fan-girl moments, in fact I don't really like girls that fantasize about being with the characters. Real men are better!

Sorry, where is my head today? Please enjoy the story.

(Note: This story needs a better title. If anyone could help, I would greatly appreciate it. Please respond to this in either a review or an email. The title must be appropriate for all ages, not insult this story,and have something to do with the story. Please read this chapter before responding. Title does not have to be in English, but translation for title, the correct translation, must be submitted also. If no one submits anything I'll come up with the new title by myself. People that do submit their suggestions for a title will be meantioned in the disclaimer, at the ending credits for the chapters, and at the final chapter. Enjoy the story.)

Disclaimer: I. don't. own. Man those words hurt.

_Italic_ – Kikyou's speech/writing

underline – Words stressed for purpose.

Kikyou: Ch 7: Awaken

* * *

The moonlight shinning through the office windows threw a gentle glare over the flashing words on the computer screen. The images made bright on them of a young girl that looked older than her years gently smiling compared to the picture of a perfectly normal girl of the same age with a large grin printed on her face. The two young woman were exactly alike except in hair and skin, pale white vs a healthy glow, hesitation vs unblemished bliss. They were pure opposites, twins that had split apart on the personality level. 

The flashing words kept blinking, picking up anything that had to deal with the feudal era and the second of the woman, Kagome. The words "Shikon no Tama" or Jewel of Four Souls, was also in the computers automatic search.

But the after image of the picture remained.

Hesitation. The picture had been taken recently of both woman. The first in this very building during a card game. The dark rich brown eyes of the young woman smiling with hesitation reflected a half filled void. Something that could never be filled, no matter how much kindness was bestowed upon her, no matter how much love, it couldn't' erase the past.

Seto reached for the coffee mug next to the computer only to find it not half full, but completely empty. Sighing he reached for the intercom button and then let his hand drop. What was the point of waking anyone up tonight?

The data that he was collecting would go toward figuring out a exit for this current situation. But something bothered him about it. This "Kagome" wasn't making any effort at all to hide her existence. Despite her deeds, which could not be held up in court, she could smile so innocently in front of the camera But Kikyou was hundreds of years in the past for Kagome. So far away that maybe she had already forgotten about traveling to the past. If Kikyou's story could be believed.  
Even with all the evidence, the cult, Kikyou's awakening right in front of him, something was troubling him.

Maybe it was the look in her eyes and the feel of her skin that was upsetting him. Kikyou seemed to look right through him with a haunting quality that was all her own, something her reincarnation didn't have. Even what was left of her voice echoed in the back of his mind, enticing him to save her.

Seto snorted. He wasn't some fairy tale prince. He didn't owe her anything. It was only a coincidence that he was there with her when she awoke. It could have been anyone. And his thoughts of that day had nothing to do with it.

Yet the empty feeling had disappeared. The feeling of something missing had left since Kikyou came, as if she was a missing piece of him that had just returned.

Pressing two buttons on the black keyboard a live image was brought up on the screen. A camera steadily recording images from a room. The steady, but labored breathing of the sole occupant could almost be heard. A pale hand clenched in a fist and bed sheets tangled around the female form. Black hair flared out, falling over her delicate shoulders like a shawl. Kikyou's face was distorted in pain.

Raising the mug once again to his lips to see if it was really empty, Seto watched the screen with a new emotion surfacing. It was an almost morbid fascination that was taking over. Some unexplored emotion that Seto hadn't even realized he had.

This woman, the feeling that they had met somewhere. That they were suppose to have meet, of time interrupted. Missing each other only to have come in contact now. The taste of something remembered and then forgotten, a memory that never was lingered.

Why she looked at him like that, as if she already knew him without meeting him. Or rather something in him did.

The cup fell out of his fingers slowly, crashing to the floor and shattering as Seto slumped forward in his seat. As his body fell over the keyboard a strange feeling of fatigue over came him.

Overhead, the computer continued its emotionless task.

* * *

In a dark corner of a hall, classical music was playing. The emotional lyrics of a opera coming from the old-fashioned horn of a antique record player. The last line of the song caught on the needle, repeating over and over the singers cry of passion unheard in the empty hall.  
Forgotten portrait almost falling off their hinges were covered by dark cloth. The veins in the marble floor were covered with gold and polished to shine unlike the walls. A pair of black foreign dress shoes were reflected on the floor and a gloved hand reached up to knock on the 2nd to the right door. 

"Sir-"

"Come in."

Taking no notice of the record players current state, the cold voice welcomed in the butler.

"Sir, this was all I could get on the girl." A small photograph, similar to the one on Seto's computer was transferred to hands encased in scars. Cold golden eyes lit up in a smile.

"Thank you. Was there anything else?"

The servant fidgeted and looked around nervously. "Well, about the boy..."

"Well?"

"Sir, he doesn't remember."

"What!? After all that!"

The butler nodded, the man in front of him steepled his hands and waist length, thin black hair fell in waves over his shoulders from the movement. Golden eyes narrowed and then readjusted into a smile again.  
"That doesn't matter, two people with the same power will recognize each other eventually. It's just a matter of time, and when that happens... Well send Joker out on it anyway."  
"You mean Jester, Sir?"

"Joker, Jester, it's all the same. Those cult fanatics all look the same to me anyhow." The golden eyed older man smiled, fangs gleaming bright white in the darkness of the room. "They all think that the Shikon no Tama is something that can lead them to everlasting life, or riches, or something as ridiculous as make one of them a god or something. Humans!" At this the man snorted and leaned back in his leather arm chair. With a dismissing wave of his hand the butler left.

In the hall the operas sole note now continued, then with another wave was silenced. The record players horn twisted in a circle like a trumpet from a mere hand gesture.

* * *

Music, light notes like those played off of thin metal. A music box perhaps? Through the beat repeated itself over and over, it didn't seem unpleasant. Just a tad unsettling. 

Kikyou looked around, her red skirt fluttering around her as she turned to the left then to the right. There wasn't a door in sight, it was just a complete wall of mirrors. Her image was reflected over and over, an image of a woman that hadn't changed over the centuries. At least not outside as least.

Kikyou turned to look behind her.

Behind her was Seto. He was looking over his shoulder at her with a look she couldn't quite place. Kikyou opened her mouth to ask what was going on, but no sound came out. She had once again forgotten that she couldn't speak.

Seto looked away from her and at something that was to the south of them, right in front of them. Kikyou followed Seto's gaze to see someone was standing a few feet away from them. The person was wearing a dark hooded cloak and had something heavy in his or her hands. Something made out of wood and metal.

The hooded person raised it up and leveled it to Seto's chest. Kikyou looked to see if Seto was alarmed by this at all, maybe even scared. Kikyou was started to feel some threads of terror, through she didn't know why.

Suddenly there was a loud noise, almost like the building they were in had collapsed. Kikyou's eyes widened as blood splattered on the mirrors around them as well as on herself. She saw that it was Seto's blood and Seto himself was crashing to the floor from the force of the blow. Kikyou tried to run toward Seto's body but her legs wouldn't move.

Kikyou sat up in a panic. Sweat covered her whole body and it seemed she had fell out of bed sometime during the night. She was currently sitting in a pile of blanks on the floor. Sunlight streamed through the French doors leading to the small patio she had in the room Seto had given her two or so days ago. It seemed much longer to her though.

'That nightmare...' Kikyou thought to herself as she picked up the blankets around her and put them back on the bed. 'It wasn't just a nightmare, it was a premonition. I've had enough to tell between a nightmare and one.'

The only problem was: how to stop it, when would it happen, and if it could be avoided. Plus, should she or shouldn't she tell Seto. What if telling him was part of how he would die? No, telling him was out of the question. He wouldn't believe her anyway.

But she had to take this one seriously, the last premonition she had had she didn't take seriously and the results was this, her current state of undeadness. This time...this time she wouldn't just stand around thinking that it was "destiny" or some nonsense like that. This time she would... What would she do exactly?

'What am I going to do?' Kikyou thought by pacing the room. Each step seemed to just bring her back to the same question while the early morning sun kept rising. She couldn't sit around all day and wonder about it. But these kind of cases need to be handled delicately. Even her pacing may be part of this. Kikyou looked up suddenly and clasped her hands in front of her like she was going to pray. The answer seemed to have just floated out of the sky.

Why she would do absolutely... Nothing. Not a damn thing. She wouldn't tell Seto, she wouldn't tell Mokuba, or the rest about this. Nor would she try to keep Seto from leaving or going as he pleases. And she wouldn't try to find whoever was going to kill him, since it would be pointless anyway. She had no way to even protect herself in this state.

So that left the one idea that seemed more ridiculous then helpful: Follow him. Hell, if she could follow Naraku's movement (even though those skills had gained a thousand year coating of dust) she could most likely follow his.

Nodding her head in a silent yes, Kikyou headed to the bathroom to get dressed and then to find Seto's room.

* * *

It didn't take as long as Kikyou thought it would to find Seto Kaiba's room. This was because his room had two lavish doors that reminded Kikyou of his fathers (step-father's) ballroom. Pushing aside the other memories that the doors brought on, Kikyou knocked softly on the hard wood and then waited. 

After 30 seconds, Kikyou knocked again only this time a little louder than before.

Another 30 seconds and she repeated the process.

After this fourth session of half-minute waiting, Kikyou, who was fed up with waiting not to mentioned worried that he might already be dead, opened the right hand door and let herself in.

'If he's nude or something, he'll just have to forgive me and get over it. Not like I haven't seen what's down there before. Besides, he can complain about it after this day is over or after he's dead.' With this thought to reassure her, Kikyou started looking around.

"Lavish", might be too light a word. The room wasn't as big as the ballroom from last night, but it was very huge. Maybe as large as a quarter of that ballroom. The color scheme of the bedroom primarily consisted of dark red and a cream colored white. The carpet seemed to be more plush then that in any of the other rooms and gave her the feeling that she had somehow shrunk slightly. Two large ceiling to floor windows on the north wall were draped in ample, heavy red curtains, one of which was tied back so the morning sun showed through.

A Grandfather clock chimed to Kikyou's far right. She took her eyes off of the window and turned her head in the clocks direction, toward where Seto's bed lay with him in it. The bed seemed to be the largest Kikyou had ever seen and was made out of solid oak which had an elegant feel with the added touch of curtains, all of which were pulled back except the one at the end of the bed, preventing her from seeing anything but Seto's hand.

As the clock finally ended it's 9th chime Kikyou, whose anger had gave way to a nervous fear at the thought of what the curtain might be hiding, now headed toward him. He could be dead since the dream didn't seem to state a specific time, but most likely there would be more blood if he was dead. More blood then a mere curtain could even hope to conceal. So Seto couldn't be dead. He just couldn't.

Kikyou's eyes started to water, had she failed yet again? Even if he was mean, nasty, and self-absorbed, he still held a place in her-

She roughly pulled back the curtain, exposing what she hoped was still a warm, beating, human body with the face of the man she had grew to respect if not like.

Her fears seemed to melt away as she saw that he was just sleeping. A long night going over paper work or some other form of business had made him stay up late so he had fell asleep halfway through signing some documents. All of which were spread all over the bed in a random pattern. Seto himself seemed to be half in and half out of his usual white jacket. He hadn't even had enough energy to undress himself or at least drape a blanket over himself.

Kikyou sighed with relief and briefly put her hand over the place where her heart had been. He was alright, not dead or even close to it, just sleeping. She was about to turn away when his sleeping face made her stop.

When he was awake it seemed that the only expressions he could have was sadistic glee, hate, an intense or angry glare, and the occasional quick "I care" glance. But now...

Now he seemed to have an almost gentle expression. An expression that until now Kikyou would have scoffed at if someone had even suggested he would be capable of showing. But now, with his serene face in front of her, she could probably believe that pigs can fly. (without the help of the Shikon-no-Tama of course).

Now that he was in this state she had the opportunity to see his more finer features. How his mouth seemed to smile slightly, the fall of his hair, even his eye lashes seemed fascinating. He truly was handsome in a way.

'I wonder if I ever studied Inuyasha this closely...' The thought brought some small pain and longing with it, but by gazing at his face, by being this close to him, the pain seemed to be slowly dieing within her.

'A painkiller with a handsome face.' Kikyou chuckled mentally from the thought and leaned in closer to get a better look at Seto. Which resulted in one of two things:

One, his arm suddenly moved and wrapped itself around her waist.

And two, Kikyou fell forward and barely caught herself before she could fall on top of Seto who had probably moved in reaction to some dream or the other. But at least at this angle, 5 inches from the unknown taste of his lips, she got to study him better. Deciding that this was enough, and before he moved even more, Kikyou gently put his arm back at his side and stood up.

Blushing from the close encounter, but not noticing, Kikyou walked toward a chair by the window and sat down to wait for her imaginary heartbeat to slow down and for him to wake up.

The two hours between when Seto was still asleep and when he woke up were spent with Kikyou looking out the window at the streets below and then dozing for awhile in the surprisingly comfortable chair by the window.

As the clock chimed 11 Kikyou sat up and at the same time Seto groaned and turned over to his side. It seemed he was waking up.

The peace and serenity that had been on his face only a few minutes ago seemed to linger as he opened his eyes, but then it quickly gave way to a more normal expression. It was almost fairy tale like how his mood changed so quickly.

With another groan Seto set sat up and stretched, then took off his coat and was halfway through taking off his shirt when he noticed Kikyou.

For a moment nothing was said and a silence seemed to linger around the room, making it suddenly seem smaller. Kikyou fidgeted in her chair like a small child under an oppressive adults glare, an action that she had never done before and didn't want to repeat. But then again, she had also just burst into a man's room and spent two hours waiting for him to wake up, not to mention study him by he was asleep. The thought of the first few minutes brought up a pale blush to Kikyou's face, causing her to look down at her hands. If he saw that blush only God would know what he would think she had been doing in here by he was asleep.

More uncomfortable silence, and then...

"What are you doing here?" The question seemed so ordinary, so calmly spoken, that Kikyou could only widen her eyes at it and stand up. Seto looked up at her without a glare or a accusing stare of any kind.  
This moment seemed so unlike him that Kikyou still didn't have an answer to his question. And even if she did, she couldn't tell him her REAL answer nor could she write it. In her haste to go to his side she had forgotten to take her notebook and pen.

After a moment Seto looked away from Kikyou and stretched his arms out in front of him. Finally speaking he said: "I guess you came to call me up for breakfast, no-" Seto frowned slightly as he turned to look at the clock. "-lunch. Thanks."

Seto stood up, shrugged his shoulders as he passed her, and walked out of the room.

'What...how...how is he so damn calm? On the outside he seems like his normal self, but on the inside...' Kikyou thought to herself as she left the room to follow Seto. 'Does this have something to do with my premonition? Or maybe people are just not themselves before they die. Or, is he not affected because he trusts me?'

Maybe that was it. Unlike Tea she wasn't going to go all out to get his attention or try to do anything...questionable. Nor was she like Kagome who was going to always follow him around like a love sick puppy and then explode for no good reason except that he talked to another girl. If she did get upset it was toward him and what he had done to her, and Mokuba. She didn't try to manipulate him, she wasn't with him for the money but because she had to be with him, and she wasn't selfish for his attention. Today, last night, and first time they met were the only moments they spent alone. Moments that seemed to end with something "questionable" happening, but never the less still moments.

And to make this list complete, she wasn't noisy or willing to know anything about his past. Unless it had something to do with her premonition.

And unless it explained how he had been able to free her in the first place. All of these qualities that Kikyou possessed seemed to have pasted some invisible radar screen or test of his, thus allowing Seto to give away something that he had rarely even let close friends much less woman have: His (almost) complete trust.

'Trust...do I trust him?' As soon as Kikyou asked herself this she ended up answering it. 'Yes, to a certain degree, I do. Maybe more than I ever trusted Inuyasha.' As soon as that last sentence popped into her head Kikyou frowned and looked down at the Shikon no Tama.

Why was she comparing him to Inuyasha? Maybe it was because he had broken her trust so completely that it was hard to believe that she could trust another man. Yet here she was, trusting Seto as if they had been friends for a lifetime. It just seemed so natural to trust him. Despite the fact that he could be a real bastard sometimes. That kind of trust was something that Kikyou had never really had or had time to develop with Inuyasha. Even at the last loving moments of their relationship part of her had thought that he would steal the jewel. And in death part of her believed it even when it was proven false.

Kikyou continued walking, but a little slower this time. Thoughts like that brought a lot of pain, but triumph too. If only Inuyasha could see her now. He's probably living in some ordinary place and getting smashed repeatedly into the ground by his girlfriend. While she was here doing something with her life.  
Oh it may not be paradise, but it was still doing something. And right now she needed to do some focusing on the task ahead or she would fail in her "mission".

Kikyou let her mind rest and ran to catch up with Seto's fast pace with a slightly more happy spring in her step.

* * *

Because of the late time, or because of fate if you like that word better, everyone had already gathered at the infamous kitchen that Kikyou now always cooked everyones meals in. But because of the late time, or fate, Tea was attempting to cook. 

And failing horribly. I guess some people should really just stick to burgers and fries.

As they stepped into the room everyone looked up, expecting instantly to get a reason why they were the only ones absent and why they were walking in together. Seto just shrugged his shoulders again and took a seat at the table, ignoring the questioning stares like he ignored all stares coming from the public. Kikyou just stopped in her tracks and looked at him for awhile. There really was something wrong with him, his behavior was odd, she couldn't quite put her finger on it but something was wrong.

Since the silence was becoming a bit to thick for his liking, Yami, (whose bad luck was to have it be one of the days that him and Yugi switched places for a day) spoke up. "Were you two doing something that would benefit the team, or doing something that's private?"

'How does he keep changing his voice and when did he become so noisy all of a sudden?' Kikyou asked herself instead of answering. Seto also declined to answer.

"Well inquiring minds would like to-"

"Shut it Wheeler." Seto said casually and then turned to Tea. "What are you doing cooking anyway?"

Tea, who hated him and his casual rude tone, decided to give him a honest, yet still slightly sarcastic, answer. "Well someone has to do it. Besides, how could I help not to when someone special is right here, by me this morning."

No one needed to ask who that special person is, just seeing Yami flinch as Tea winked at him was enough. That and the smell of burning toaster waffles and instant bacon and eggs were enough. No wonder everyones plate looked untouched or played around with.

Tea, who wasn't finished with ruining the name of instant foods forever, turned around and asked Seto if he wanted anything.

Still in that casual yet rude tone Seto declined the offer: "No thanks, I only eat Kikyou's cooking." There was a slight emphases on the word "Kikyou" that made Kikyou herself look away from him and tightly grasp the jewel around her neck.

'Why did he say it like that, so personally? Odd, very odd. And why am I getting so heated up by it!?' Kikyou thought to herself in a whirl of emotions. Many of which were wondering how her name could sound so different and exotic coming from his lips like that and so ordinary from other peoples lips.

Maybe there was something wrong with her too.

Tea, who seemed to notice nothing that happened outside of her bubble, angrily tore off the apron she had been wearing and walked out of the room.

For a while there was cautious silence, but after a questioning "can you make us something edible " look, that was quickly filled in with actually good food. And not the instant kind either.

* * *

In Seto's mind the same thought, "something is very wrong", seemed to be flying around as well. But just like Kikyou, he couldn't put a finger on it. He had felt normal last night, but in the morning, after having a dream he couldn't remember, he had felt...odd. The things that used to annoy him seemed to have little to no effect, and his words seemed kinder as well. 

In someways this was almost exactly the same feeling he had before he had freed Kikyou.

But...

Seto turned to Kikyou. In the noon light from the buildings main entrance she looked dream like. Almost as if this was a dream and she would leave soon. Everything seemed to be taking on that dream like quality all of a sudden.

But what if it wasn't them, what if he was going to leave.

'That's stupid, nothings going to happen to me.' Seto thought to himself even though some ancient part in him stirred at his words.

"Are you sure it's alright for us to leave?" Joey asked.

Yami nodded. "It's all right, nothings going to happen to you guys as long as you don't draw attention to yourselves. Just go to our family and friends and "explain" the reason for our disappearance."

The plan, quickly created after getting a good days meal, was to send a small group of people, Joey and Honda (since they had not played in any major part of the past nights events), to their families and friends to stop them from putting out a missing persons case and so they won't worry about where they are. All they have to say is that since it's summer they decided to go on a "small" vacation and forgot to tell anyone. Answer all questions with only a yes or no answer, present evidence if they need it. Evidence which includes a ticket stub, a small traveling bag, and other items. And get anything they might need like clothes, information, etc. Then to come back as soon as possible, whether or not any one believed them or decided to agree with their plan.

And of course there was one more rule: Tell no one where they actually were. No one.

The consequences for their actions would just have to be dwelt with later. If there was a later it was hard to tell when you have murderous cult members after you. Again.

"Come right back now, alright? Don't stop for anything and call if anything happens." Tea asked, her previous anger forgotten. She was wringing her hands and looking as nervous as Yami, Kikyou, Seto, and Mokuba felt. The second reason (besides they could all die if they screwed up) for their nervousness was no where to be found.

Honda nodded and Joey waved. With nothing else to be said the two stepped through the glass doors seperating there current place of residence and the street. Out into the unknown where anything could happen, anything.

* * *

Serenity wasn't quite sure what or how to feel. 

Since Joey left she had been too worried to even sleep. A strange number of events leading from the museum which Joey had headed to with his friends had now been linked to a hospital which they had also been to according to the information from her own private investigation.

Several people had been killed, many more injured. And what if Joey was among them? The police refused to give out any information about the victims to the reporters or general public. So there was at least some hope, but not enough to keep her from feeling anything but worry over her brothers life.

If Joey died...What would she do? She had never actually thought about it. He was really all she had, he was her brother and her friend. And now...

And now he was calmly sitting there smiling nervously in a foolish attempt to get her to calm down.

His and Honda's words were just spinning in space, they hit but didn't register in her ears. At her questions they had just continued to say anything but what she wanted to hear.

How did they escape from the hospital? Why didn't they stay there if they had nothing to hide? And what was this about a vacation? All his stuff was still here! Not a bag had been packed!

Joey, seeing the look on her face, reached over the coffee table and took her two small hands in his larger one. "Look sis, I know you were really worried about me and I'm sorry-"

"Sorry? SORRY!? Boy Wheeler you sure ARE going to be sorry when I'm done with you!" Mai Kujaku strolled into the room from the kitchen, hands on her hips and her pretty features curled into a fierce snarl of both disgust, anger, and (though she would never admit it) concern over Joey and where he had been.

Though if anything the anger took over.

"And what exactly are YOU doing here!?" Joey stood up, ready for a fight. This woman may look like a beautiful vixen but looks can be deceiving. Behind that beautiful face was a monster that wouldn't have any difficulty with ripping him apart in a situation like this.

"I'm here,-" Said Mai while glaring daggers at Joey and taking a protective/fighter stance by Serenity's side. "because your sister called me over in tears asking me where her brother was. I've listened to every single idiotic word that has ever came out of your mouth and I must confess: you're either the dumbest mutt in the yard or the second dumbest."

"What the hell is that suppose to mean?" Honda quietly asked. He had so far been left out and ignored by everyone, including his precious Serenity. But wasn't this just the usual chain of events?

"This has nothing to do with you Mai," Joey growled. This was becoming more complicated by the minute. He should have saved visiting his sister for last. "thanks for taking care of my sister now leave."

"Like hell I will!"

"Dammit Mai-"

"STOP!!" Serenity's voice rang out in the middle of this duel of words with enough power to stop not only Mai and her brother but half the block as well.

"Stop it. It doesn't matter how she got here. I called her because Mai is one of your closest friends-"

"I wouldn't exactly say closest." Interrupted Joey. Serenity choose to ignore him.

"-I'm just glad you're back. I...I thought you were-" Serenity sobbed and then flung herself in the direction of her brother. He caught her and enfolded her in his arms. For a minute nothing was heard but the sobbing of the young girl and the tick of the clock.

Joey started out the window and at the setting sun, he hadn't expected them to stay this long. There was still so much to do. But even more important then that they had to keep moving. As long as they were out and they were within the city limits those bastards could find them anywhere. Who knows if they were followed?

They had all been pulled into this conflict by Kikyou, and now through her and Yugi's influence they couldn't just up and leave. Even if they did, they were already apart of this chain that had started long ago.

Joey sifted his weight to his right leg, barely sticking out of the waist band of his jeans and carefully protected by his shirt and heavy jacket (which was hell in this weather) was a gun. A 44. Bulldog to be exact.()

He didn't want to bring it along but something told him that this was going to be unlike the other strange and unusual events that he had been a witness to since being friends with Yugi. Whoever these people were they weren't going to deal out a nice hand of cards to see who walked away the winner.

Gradually Serenity's sobs stopped altogether, but still the fact that he had been the one to cause her pain made Joey feel like a complete asshole. He tried to smile through his guilt and rubbed the back of her head to comfort her with one hand by holding on to her with the other.

Honda, who didn't want to break the nice fuzzy moment, opened his mouth to speak. They had to go. "Um...we should be getting to-"

"I know," Joey replied. "Just give me a minute will ya?"

Mai walked toward the window and smiled over her shoulders a little. When he wasn't a ass he was at least sort of sweet. She reached out her hand for the curtains by keeping her eyes on the nice scene in back of her.

Instead of thin, lacy curtains her hand ended up gripping thick, velvety cloth which felt sinister and cold. And was it just her imagination or was the cloth moving in time with someone's breathing that wasn't her own. The room was too dark for her to see with because of the suddenness of the setting sun. Or was it really nature that covered the room in darkness?

Honda looked up at Mai as Mai herself turned her head to look at what she was actually holding.

In mere moments which seemed to be slowed down to a Matrix like pace, the room turned into chaos.

* * *

They had waited long enough for them to come back. 

Seto faced the setting sun with a sudden certainty that something had happened, or was going to happen, which would determine the fate of one or many of them.

By all accounts, they should have known better than to waste time like this. But...

Yami's grip on the headset of the phone clenched and unclenched, finally after the operator's voice donned on for the second time he replaced it back on to its proper place. Grandpa hadn't received a single message from them. And Tea and Honda's parents didn't have a clue where they were after they left their houses.

There was no answer from Serenity's house.

This was turning from bad to worse. And the guilt and knowledge that they could have very well sent them off to their deaths set in like a stone thrown into a very deep ocean.

Kikyou, restless and upset at her own thoughts, stood and went to Seto's side. She stared hard into his profile, trying to find some comfort in his features that she had found this morning. There was none. The only thing that gave away his thoughts was the unexpected movement of his hand closest to hers on the guard rail. Suddenly he had placed his hand over hers.

"Shit..." Tea wasn't one to cuss, but the seriousness of the events so far had already reduced her to bitting her fingers nails. She uncrossed her arms and turned toward Yami helplessly, he seemed to have found something interesting in Kabia's profile as well.

'What are we going to do?'It was the question that everyone wanted to ask, but didn't want to voice for fear that the dazzling crimson colors of the setting sun would pronounce a time of mourning.

Yami sighed and for once, (and the only time in the history of mankind) gave up and let Seto completely take over as the leader. "What are we to do now?" He asked his rival, his tone of voice pronouncing a shift in leadership. A hint of sadness lacing his words.

Seto closed his eyes, thinking over the question. "We-"

"SETO!" Mokuba rushed into the room holding a piece of parchment and a VHS tape in his hands.

Kikyou stared at the tape as Seto took it from Mokuba's hands. A feeling of helplessness and loss overcame her. Something in her gut told her that things were going to change tonight. Destiny would be revealed.

As Mokuba quickly explained that the tape had been thrown through the front door several stories down, Seto quickly inserted the tape into a VHS/DVD player connected to the tv in this room.

They watched as if in slow motion the hands that circled the face of the clock, the blank screen coming to life and the figures dancing to life inside.

Kikyou felt numb, she couldn't remember when she had slumped the her knees in a hopeless mess on the floor or when she remembered tears. Or even more importantly why she was crying.

Four people were bound together on the screen, sharp metal objects pointed at their heads and the reflections off of the shiny metal in the background could have been a mirror or iron plating.

Their missing comrades and two unknown, unknown to her anyway, woman were kneeling on the floor. The camera paned in and out to show their frightened expressions. The video was very precise on what they must do.

Go outside of town. Leave their safe harbor and sail into the now abandoned fair grounds there. They were to bring the priestess, the jewel, and nothing else. Not even a deck of cards. ALL of them must come and they must come quickly or else--

A shot rang out, slipping from the speakers and bring Tea to her knees with how real it sounded. How much like the gun shots they had been running from and looking over their shoulders from since this whole awful affair started.  
The camera turned and showed a shiny metal stand, one of the hooded gun men was standing next to it. His gun was still smoking and the messy remains of a watermelon were nothing but so much pulp and small bits of rind. The camera turned back, and now this same gun was pointed at Joey's head.

Tea moaned, or Yami moaned, all Kikyou knew that someone moaned as the video and the tv clicked off all at once and a another form joined her on the soft carpet. Kikyou stared at her hands, smooth and white. These hands that had dragged so many people into this. What was a jewel? She knew her sense of duty, but still--

Seto towered over her. His fingers dug into her arm with enough intensity to hurt. The pain brought her back to her senses, back to reality and to what she was and who she was.

She couldn't give up. Her hands, no, her very soul was not stained with the blood of innocents for this. For her to give up like this.

Seto looked down at Yami and Tea, sitting weakly on the carpet as if their very souls had been devoured.  
"Let's go. Mokuba, stay here."

"But--"

"Stay. Here." His eyes refused all resistance, cold and blue like the night that was closing in on them. He stood Kikyou up on her own two feet, not releasing her arm and looking into her eyes as if begging her to give him a reason to hurt her further. But her body would give him no resistance.

They should hate her. But they didn't. The four walked out of the room and downstairs. The bright night-lights of the city shining in their eyes, the first in many days. And then they crowded into the black car and never looked back.

* * *

The drive was a long one and on the way nothing was said. All four of them were crowded in the back, the driver, a man which they couldn't see past the tinted glass, said nothing to them as the city faded and green grass sprang up around them. The twilight fading into the night cast long shadows on their faces that lingered like a lovers fleeting caress. 

Kikyou stared at the card that lay on Seto's chest. The necklace that he never seemed to take off, without thinking she reached over and turned the card over.

The cold blue eyes of a dragon stared back at her. Without thinking she shuddered and looked away.

"We should be there soon." The first words spoken from the driver and the last as he pulled up into a deserted parking lot. The shadows of motionless carnival rides were outlined bleakly against the gloom of night.

Yami slammed his shoulder against the door, almost sure that it wouldn't yield to his weight. It opened up easily. Helping Tea out, who was still in a state of shock, her knees buckled and she fell against him. As the two held each other awkwardly, walked around and opened the drivers door. For a moment, there was the figure of a man there. Real and garbed in robes as black as the approaching darkness. And then the image crumpled in on itself. The hands that held the steering wheel fell off of it with a hiss of silk against leather and all Seto was left with was a long black piece of cloth. Cloth rich and full like the darkness.

Seto backed away and looked at the grinning entrance to the fair. Kikyou stared at his profile, full of dread.  
And somewhere far away, the first threads of the tune in her dream began to play over and over again.

(Chapter 7 End-to be continued)

* * *

**Author's Note: **I really rushed the end of this chapter. I would like to write more since I'm in this grim mood, but I have tickets to the Comic-con in the morning and I need to be up by nine. 

About some things mentioned in the chapter:

I was a little creeped out about writing the hostage scene, it just hit to close to home with what is currently going on in the world today. So I pray that this will be the first and the last that I have to do ever in my lifetime. But it probably won't. I'll just follow where my imagination and my muse lead me.

About the gun that Joey has. At a artist, a wannabe one anyway, I have several reference books. Two on weapons. One with guns and another on weapons dating back through the centuries. In the first book it mentions "inexpensive guns". And one of them is the BullDog. Seeing how weapons come in to play with this and the next chapter I put this in there. I've never used a gun, much less own one by the way. I don't like them, a real man fights with his fists. But the villains int his one are not human, as you'll come to find out.

The last part, where Seto opens the door and the driver turns to cloth. I had been reading a lot of good horror fan fiction (from the FF8 section, which has some of the best horror fan fiction) so I was kinda in the mood. Kudos for anyone that can figure out from which anime movie this scene is taken from.

Seto's necklace. Is Blue Ice White Dragon the card he has around his neck? I haven't been watching the series because of the dubbing and I'm trying to remember. Well if it isn't, it is now.

This chapter is also very choppy. Kikyou's dream, Seto watching Kikyou like a psycho in heat, and the bad guys entrance don't fit well together. It's probably because I was in different phases of my life when I was writing it. The bad guys entrance, by the way, was written when I was reading "The Phantom of the Opera" for the first time. It's a VERY good book, but nothing like the movie. For which I was both sad, and very glad. From the movie, I thought it was based off a Opera and the guy that wrote it was a woman. (lol) In fact it was written by a French man and the book has very little romance or singing in it, it has both elements in it but it's very heavily a mystery/horror novel. But, since I like those books, I enjoyed it and walked off with a idea for the villain that this story needed.

Chapter 8 should be the conclusion of the carnival. The team will split up and a horrible deed will be committed. Seto will come face to face with his past, his other self, and the powers that awakened Kikyou. Look forward for a very touching scene at the end and a grisly description of attempted murder.

And yes, this fan fiction will get darker. There's no "heart of the cards in here", just Seto and Kikyou, guns and roses. (lol)

See ya later.


	8. An Awaking Dream Vanishes into the Night

**Author's Note: **No Author's Note this time. :)

Kikyou: Ch 8: An Awaking Dream Vanishes into the Night

* * *

His eyes were soft for a moment as he reached out a hand to steady her. The floor shaking underneath their feet seemed ready to fall at any moment. Kikyou reached out and grabbed his shoulder and Seto's eyes turned cold.

"We should have reached the exit by now, damn."

"pant...pant..."

"Do you want to rest?"

Kikyou caught her breath and clenched the shikon no tama in one fist, furiously shaking her head after. No, this had to stop now before it was too late. She knew as well as he did that they were walking into a trap. The only door opened when they reached this place was the door leading into the "Fun House", which left only the empty boardwalk and this building the only hiding places.

Yugi and Tea were gone, they had split up earlier. That left just her and Seto. Kikyou glanced at his profile. Strong, well defined, and arrogant even in this light. He wouldn't look at her.

'But of course he wouldn't. This is my fault.'

She had dragged him into this. She had put his friends in danger. By all rights she should be paying the price. If only it had burned with her. If only, if only...

"Kikyou!"  
Seto reached out and shook her roughly by the shoulders, causing her body to slam against the guard rails repeatedly. He hadn't meant to be so rough, but at that moment her body and mind had been elsewhere. An elsewhere which didn't include now or here. It was plain to see the beginnings of self doubt.

Crash!

Behinds them a plastic skeleton with a noose around it's neck fell and giggled insanely. Kikyou latched on to the front of his shirt and stared at it like someone waking from a nightmare into a nightmare.

"pant...pant..."

"I know. Just hold out a little longer. It's not much further. Alright?"  
Kikyou looked up at Seto. He had misunderstood. She wasn't afraid, she was terrified. Frightened at the prospect of loosing him. It's so very tiring, losing the ones you love over and over.

His worried face dangled only inches in front of her own. The floor wobbled again, now they were waist to waist. Him between her legs and her arms on his chest.  
'Just like that time when I fell and you caught me...'

The words that she wanted to say got caught, stuck on her paralysis and slipped down into the pit in her stomach and back out in a panting moan of pain and memory of past touches.

For one fierce moment Seto has a thought of not letting her go, of pushing her down and then--

"We should go." The moment was over. Kikyou looked hurt as he pushed her away and stared walking ahead.

'Dammit, what kind of asshole thinks about sex at a time like this!?' Seto was almost too lost in his thoughts to notice Kikyou slip again until the retching sounds started again. He returned to her side and knelled down. The front of her dress was a ruin of vomit and dust. Her hair hung limply in her face and her body was cold, more cold then it normally was. Ignoring the mess, he held her again, putting his head over hers and looking down the corridors behind them.

'What to do, what to do.

Go back? Leave Kikyou in the car and continue by myself?

Go forward with her?

What to do, what to do... dammit!'

"Don't go...Stay with me."  
Seto snapped out of his thoughts and looked down at Kikyou. She had temporarily passed out from motion sickness. There was no way she had spoke. She couldn't even speak if she had been awake. Her windpipes had been crushed, a injury which would have killed a normal human, and because of it her ability of speech had been stolen from her. But just then...

_Stay with me. Please. I'm not begging, just stay with me. _Kikyou mouthed the words against his shirt, her lips brushing against his collarbone. Her face flushed pink. Here she was, the mighty Kikyou, the Supreme Priestess of the East begging like a weakling.

Seto picked her up easily. Her weight seemed natural and light in his arms.

"Then we're going."

Kikyou looked up at him. Her face, no longer hindered by broken emotions because of him, was a mixture emotions which he couldn't decipher.

The words "stay with me", someone had uttered them in the past and it hadn't been Kikyou. Someone that he had lost. Forever.

"We're going."

* * *

tap, tap, tap

Yami's boot heels dug into the soft wood with a constant rise and fall of his legs, making hollow tapping sounds and falling wood chips. From his perch on a "Mr. SoftServe" counter the board walk seemed even emptier if that was possible.

Tap, tap, tap

The cards that were shuffled in his hands like tarot cards almost slipped out of his grip twice.

Black Magician, Egyptian God Card, Trap Card, Trap...

tap, tap, tap

"Would you stop that!?"

Tap...

Tea looked up at Yami and brushed damp hair out of her face angrily. One surprise that they had encountered was a flood of water from the restrooms when they forced open that locked door. That and a pair of bloody marionettes had convinced them not to try to open the locked doors again.  
Tap...Tap!

Tea looked up again. The strong shoulders that she had always looked towards, the lean hands and long fingers that had always stroked those cards with enough confidence to make her smile; where were they now?  
Tap! Tap! Tap! Tap!--

"Stop it!"

Tap! Tap! Tap! Tap! Tap!---

"Stop it, we'll find them! We'll find them!

Tap! Tap. Tap...

'Isn't this funny, we've switched roles.' This psychic attack was working. Whoever they are they were damn good, and it was only the promise of something, anything beyond this that got her through this.

His hands, and his smile, and his hair, and dammit even the smell of him were the only things that were getting her through this.

Her hand brushed a lock of dusty hair in the cabinet. Tea gasped as she looked into it and then shut it quickly from horror before she could allow the image to sink in.

'That was a...'

As she put her shoulders against the cabinet to steady herself, the what once was a person-no the thing-inside leaped forward and slammed against it then started giggling madly.

Slam!

Tap...

Slam!

Tap...

'God, I'm going to...!'

"We'll find them, Yami. I just know we will."

Tap...

* * *

The corridors were dark and deep, darker than he had imagined. While his friends were going insane ouside, Seto walked down a passage way of neon lights and glow in the dark blood. Even with all the colorful blood splatters, it was still dark.

Kikyou's breath was hot and heavy against his ear. Her body was ridged and cold against his back. He hadn't wanted to knock her out, but his hand had reached into the pocket holding his sleeping pills on their own accord and he had shamefully tricked her into taking them.

"Just take them, they'll help your stomach. God, what a horrible lie." Seto muttered under his breath, coming into the same damn dead in with that stupid paper mache spider jiggling up and down and that hold for the horribly bad actors that jump out at you and say "boo!".

His father, no correction, his FOSTOR-father had taken him to one of these insane places. Practically scared the crap out of him. It was hard to see why now. But he had been little then and for all he knew had tried not looking scared and had succeeded without letting the old man know. Mokuba on the other hand...

'Mokuba...'

Mokuba was waiting for Kikyou and him and the others right now. He was probably crying his eyes out. But as soon as he came home he would put on a brave face, trying to imitate his older brother for Seto and Kikyou's sake, so that he wouldn't look weak in front of them. It was the same dumb shit that he did when he was his age and continues to do now.

And now what? Where was that tough face to help him now? And that hole...

The hole. He could have smacked himself in the face. It was so simple that he almost missed it.

Seto crawled through without pausing to think.

* * *

His hand was hot and warm in her own. Larger despite his, and Yugi's, small size and for that Tea was glad. Tea was glad that Yugi was safety tucked into his subconsciousness right now so he couldn't see this. Couldn't see what was going on right now.

His hair was wet. The shockingly pink and purple and yellow strands sticking to his face and clinging to his skin. It was beautiful hair regardless, much too long without the power of hair gel. At a rough guess it was probably almost to his knees.

His eyes were covered, and that was the good thing. The water around their ankles caused one of the peopl-things-around them to brush against his leg and he shivered at the touch. Exciting her and alarming her at the same time.

"How much further?" His voice husky and harsh. From screaming? Had he screamed? Had she screamed?

"Not long." Her voice cheery. As if trying to light up the darkness. God, she just wanted to, just wanted to...

"Really?"

'shutupshutupshutupshutup!'

"Really."

Kill him.

Yami looked up at her as she fell toward him, the water around their ankles was a mixture of muck and blood and sea water which smelled sweet and salty and metallic. He had never smelled anything quite as bad and the though had made him laugh. Laugh that you could smell something which would make you laugh which would make you smell which would make you laugh.

She fell toward him and grabbed his shoulder. "Really." Her voice was filled with laughter and maybe a bit of song as she repeated the word. Reaching a hand to brush over his cheek and eyebrows.

"Really?" Then his lips. It was madding. He didn't even like her. Yet he was already mad so it didn't matter anyway.

_The king of games is so easily broken...Does that make me a broken game piece? Haha_

Her lips brushed over his, and that was alright because as he opened his mouth it was warm and that was alright too.

Warm, and salty and then he was moaning and then they were moaning, so it was alright.

Something brushed against his leg as Tea fell fully against him, knocking them both into the water. And something snapped as his head fell against the concrete underneath and he finally opened his mouth to scream because Tea was cutting off his air with her hands and it hurt like hell but felt...just...great...

_I want to die. I don't care anymore. It doesn't matter. _

_Because..._

"_You're selfish, so selfish."_

And the other voice in his mind made him open his mouth and utter a phrase which he hadn't said in ages and promised not to speak again: "Let's play a shadow game."

"Really?"

"Really."

And somewhere behind them there was laughter, and that was better still.

* * *

Seto adjusted Kikyou's weight. The atmosphere around them, which had been swirling around them from the start (and which was driving his friends to kill each other) was thicker in this area. Seto looked around.

A hall of mirror dazzling bright in the darkness and studio lights. The music louder here as well. Everywhere he looked there were doubles of himself. Countless Setos and countless Kikyou's, but only one was his real self.

"Behind you."

Seto turned around, toward the opposite exit from the one they had came. A voice, not his own and not Kikyou's seemed to guide him.

"Very good, very good. You seemed to have kept your mind. While your friends on the other hand... Let's just say they're enjoying a bit of fun before their demise. Madness is sweet isn't it?"

Seto turned to the west. Another him in another mirror. Dammit, every time he looked away it seemed that something from the corner of his eye moved and taunted him. Something just within reach. Like a ghost from the past and a nightmare from the future.

"Though I rather enjoyed the "King of Games" performance. Him and Tea make a nice pair, huh? But I couldn't just leave them runting like that. I was surprised though at, whats-his-name, Yugi's performance. Despite the fact that she was the woman he loved, he would switch with his alter ego and brutally kill her using a "shadow game". And here I thought I was the king of mind games..."

Seto turned to the east. "Neither Yami or Yugi, would do such a thing! You're lieing! Where are you?"

"Impatient? Don't tell me you didn't want it? To just kill Kikyou? Or maybe you just wanted to F--"

"Shut up!"

"--her first. She's a tough, but beautiful one, eh? The only thing I can get out of her is motion sickness. Is it because she is a doll that you and I are infatuated with her?"

Seto turned to the north. "She's not a doll. And I don't know who the hell you are, but I've had enough. Murdering innocent people, tormenting my friends--"

"But Seto, you don't have any friends."

"Shut up! And hurting Kikyou. I'll kill you."

"Oh, and I'm so scared. Millionaire kid here, who has probably done worse things then me in my best daydreams, is going to extract revenge on me. You? Kill me? You couldn't even kill your parents properly."

"Shut up! I've had enough of you. I've come to terms with that. Whether it is my fault or theirs doesn't matter to me any more. Show your face."

"You sure you want to see it?"

Seto turned to the south. Kikyou's body was slumped against the wall, just as he left it. But over her his own face was reflected. Warped and twisted.  
Seto ground his teeth together. Whether it was Kikyou or his own power protecting him, it wouldn't work now. Without stopping to think he ran full force toward the reflection and smashed it's face in.

Blood and glittering fragments of glass rained over Kikyou's body. Seto pulled his hand back and started to turn toward the opposite exit as the sound of a trigger pulling back echoed in the room.

"Well, it's been fun."

Bam

* * *

It was cold, and it was wet and she was shivering all over. Tea looked up. What had she been doing?

There was something hot between her legs and over her breasts, she reached up and touched herself lightly. Blood? Whose blood?

Tea looked up. Yami/Yugi's face hovered over her own. Blood was coming out from wounds in his chest and his pendent dangled in the faint light of the space under the boardwalk, where the sea met the sand.

"Are you...pant...okay...?"

That voice, and those hands, and those lips and that smell...

"I'm fine, Ya-Yugi, what happened!" She reached up to steady him as he finally fell on top of her. His hand had slipped from the post holding up the board walk. His right hand was burned and his left held loose bandages, razor blades, and wooden splinters. The blood had dripped from his hands, which had been over both of their heads, onto his chest and then on to hers.

There was some of it on her lips. It was cold, yet sweet. Like ice cream.

"Yugi, hang on okay! Just hang on!"

"I got it back..." Yugi looked up from her lap and smiled. There was blood on his teeth, but that was okay because he still looked beautiful. "I got back the true you, and him also. I'm sorry I couldn't do anything earlier, it was too strong it...murphh"

She pushed his head against her chest to silence him, running her hands through his wet hair. "Shss, It's okay."

Overhead there was sounds of running feet. Tea held onto Yugi's body for dear life.

'Oh, God, no more.'

Smiling faces looked down on them. They were bloody too. With cuts and bruises, rope burns and bite marks, yet they were all alright and they all looked beautiful.

"There you guys are."  
"We were so worried."

"Thought you could have a quiet moment to yourself with wonder boy here?"

"He saved us but...Tea is he alright? That game it—against one of those men it--"  
"I don't want to know." Tea replied. Something in her had changed. Subtly, yet powerfully. It wasn't the condition that Yami had been in that had changed it. As her memory came back in waves she realized that she had wanted Yugi as much as Yami. Through it all it was Yugi's eyes, and Yugi's hair, and Yugi's lips that she had wanted. And now that they both were alright, all seven of them, it was truly alright.

"Seto. We have to get to Seto and Kikyou."

"But your wounds?"

Tea looked up at Joey as he spoke. There was a nasty wound to his left side and his right cheek looked like it had almost been cut open. If he was in this bad of a condition then Seto...

"Yes, right now. Bring the car around and find a phone that works. SOS if you have to."

Tea watched them run down the beach till the fading light of the dying sun erased them completely. Yugi's breath against her stomach was warm and comfortable.

"It's alright. We're alright now."

"Really?"

"Really."

* * *

At the same time that Tea was figuring out what was really important to her, Kikyou opened her eyes. The pills Seto had given her hadn't been enough for her false body. Her vision crimson and her hands scarlet.

'My hands...my hands...Seto!'  
At her feet, Seto's breath rattled harshly out of his body while he glared up into he barrel of a shotgun. The double barrel's were aimed at his head, the person wielding it had the same purple hood as the other. Only on his chest was a insignia of a tree and golden branches.

"And this my dear is...Game Over! I've had enough of you and your little friends. I kill you, I kill the girl, I kill that Yugi brat—who has really pissed me off by beating me—and then I kill the others! Good, got it? Now just die!"

Kikyou screamed out the word no, her throat burned in agony for the effort and only the first syllable made it out of her mouth as she pushed the barrel up and away from Seto at the last moment.

"You little bitch!" The gun spun and struck her cross the face, knocking her away from him.

"Kikyou!" Seto tired to get up, but the last bullet(s) had just barely missed killing him, leaving only flesh wounds and shattering the mirror behind him.

"Arrgh! What is with you immortal bitches!? Isn't it enough to have a life, why don't you try keeping it in the next one!"

Seto jumped on him. Wrapping his arms around his upper body and trying to get the gun away from him.

"Kikyou run!"

"Yes, run mute girl. And leave your wounded lover-boy here to fend for himself."

_'No.' _

"Kikyou!"

_'I'm staying. I'm staying by your side!'_

The hooded man, Joker, elbowed Seto in his injured side. Seto crumpled under the pressure to the wound and the smack to the face with the butt of the gun.

"Dammit."

"Oh, you're right about that. Because when I'm done with you, your fan girls are going to have something else to squeal about."

'This is it. This is how I die.' The thought filtered out and through Seto's head as something impossible happened:

As the gun went off Kikyou shielded him with her body. The guns aim was unsteady, so her right side was punctured and ripped open. Seto's eyes widened in shock as her right side just disappeared in front of his eyes.

There was no blood, only a soft light that was warm and cold at the same time. And then it was over and he screamed like it was him that was dying and not her.

"Kikyou!"

Above him, Joker only laughed. " "Kikyou!" Hehe, why ain't that just like those high maintenance girls to die without paying the bill. Well at least you will only suffer for a second, Romeo!"

The gun turned toward him, aiming for his head this time. From this distance it was a certain kill.

"You bastard..."

"What was that? Speak a little louder if you want to be heard."

"I won't forgive you... I'll kill you..."

This time it was Joker's eyes widened. A golden vicious light seemed to be growing out and around Seto Kiba. This aura surpassed Kikyou or Midoriko, the first maker of the shikon no tama. This power was like a gods. Too powerful for a normal human.

"What...are you...?"

Seto looked up at his gasp. His face was a mask of fury. It was, yet it was not, Seto.

_I am you._ That voice. It wasn't Kikyou's yet it sounded so familiar. The voice of himself. The voice from a thousand years from the past looking for vengeance.

Kikyou was the trigger that ended a dream that started before either of them could realize they were dreaming.

"_**I'm going to make you feel this."**_

"Stay...Stay away from me you monster!"

Seto stood up, the pain in his side was nonexistent. He couldn't even feel the tears that were falling from his face or the blood from his split lip when he had been slapped by the gun.

"_**I'm going to make you suffer."**_

"No! No...no...you stay away from me!"

Seto's hands acted on his own. Something heavy, some weight seemed to be in his right hand. Cold like gold, with a power pulsing through it as if it was alive. Seto reached forward and grabbed Joker by the nape of his neck. Pulling the older man toward him and getting in his face. Without the hood he was just some baby faced punk with ugly orange hair and a frightened sneer. This is what had killed Kikyou?

"_**I'm going to---"**_

And that was when the car slammed into the side of the building. As if a switch inside him had been shut off, Seto let go of Joker and slumped to the ground. The other man ran off and back into the fun house, screaming insanely. Whatever he had seen on Seto's face had been enough to make even the Master of Illusion go mad.

"Seto!" Someone screamed from the car. Seto didn't even hear her. Instead he stared at his empty right hand and Kikyou's body. She wasn't breathing.

"Seto!" People were around the both of him, but she still wasn't breathing. And by God it hurt so much.

"Seto!"

And that was when he fell forward and out of consciousness.

'Who are you?'

_I am you._

(Chapter 8: End)

* * *

**Author's Note: **I read way to much Gothic comics and Stephen King novels, sorry. I really should start writing horror, huh?

Well this means we're off the fluffy love story for now.  
Is Kikyou dead?

Who is inside Seto?

Is Yami still even sane?

Why don't I hate Tea anymore?

Will Joey live? (seriously, him and the other's got off way too easy this time. (evil laugh))

Who the hell are these hooded people anyway?

What does the golden tree symbol mean and whose the head of the cult?

If you aren't asking yourself these questions, then you aren't reading this as it should be read. Which is impossible because I think this is probably the most twisted, off-the-topic-which-I-started-on, fan fiction I have ever wrote.

I had insane amounts of fun writing this chapter in 12 to 2 something in the morning. My favorite parts is when Seto (is it Seto really?) says "you're going to feel this" and when Yami goes crazy with his "tap tap tap" thing and the "really(s)".

If you didn't like this chapter, I'm sorry.

If you did like this chapter, and will still continue to read this, thanks.

The reader question this time is: "What dating sim game from Hirameki has the last line in this chapter and who says it?"

If you can get this question you're just awesome. But you're already awesome if you review.

Remember: I take kind reviews, cash, check, and money order, but no credit.


	9. Black Widow

**Author's Note:** Double update time! There will be a new chapter for 4Seasons at the same time as this chapter release. The opening author's notes for 4Seasons – Summer – Chapter 4 should have all the info about the status of my other series.

Also...  
I hope you guys didn't stop reading because you thought Kikyou died! (: ) Considering that Kikyou was never alive to begin with she wouldn't really be dead. Also, she's the main character! (XD) I hope to clear up some confusion. I know I threw off a lot of readers with the dark tone in the last chapter, but this was never a happy story to begin with considering what happened so far:

1. An evil cult plots to murder Kikyou and everyone else for the Shikon no Tama.

2. Seto is in love with a dead person and has some um "conflicting" emotions for her. ( , which is stretching it a bit seeing how twisted his emotions for Kikyou can be in some chapters. Ranging from hate, to disgust, to S & M to every other negative and positive combo)

3. Several people, innocent people, have already died. (and they died in the first couple of chapters)

4. Kikyou's dead. Which always makes a heavy plot.

5. Kikyou was betrayed not only by Inuyasha (again) but by Kagome. Who turned into an evil bitch and screwed her over after she herself went insane from the constant battles and bloodshed. (now tell me that isn't twisted?)

6. Seto's "other self" turns out to have the potential to murder people and has anger problems. Not everyone is as lucky as Yugi...

7. A classical bad guy. (He likes opera along with being creepy and rich. I can list those as a evil trait, can't I? Not dissing opera by the way.)

8. And all the insaneness in the last chapter. Including murder, mayhem, attempted murder, and other horror stuff. Including the almost sex scenes.

So you see? This was never a very happy, bright and sunny fic to begin with. I just wrote it like it was. So those of you that are still with me, I'm glad you're back to read this next chapter. In it Seto learns about his true self and learns that an incident much like this one happened before. He also gains some cool powers. And kudos to anyone that figures out which scene from which movie dealing with ancient Egypt is in this. (hopefully someone responds to my challenges. --)

* * *

Kikyou – Chapter 9: Black Widow 

_She turned back and smiled at him. It was all she could do at this part. The vertical bars between them—the invisible lines connecting them—marred her smile. _

"_I'm glad... Even if was for a short time, I'm glad I could help you." She reached through the bars. Her foreign gold hair shinning through the darkness as a beacon, her blue eyes sad, she reached through and kissed his fingers. _

It was that same sad smile that had caught him in the future. The two weren't the same, they weren't connected by fate or destiny, they weren't reincarnation and incarnation, or even had the same spirit.

They were just two woman that had been caught in his web and killed because of it.

Like the mate to a black widow spider.

His head hurt. Distantly voices seemed to come to him. He was hurt, but unsure where or how. Memories were distant and far away. But the pressure in his hand didn't go away. Cold and lifeless.

There were voices, but his brain couldn't translate the sounds into words. It seemed he had been sleeping for a long time.  
The seat underneath was wet and sticky. Blood was leaking from his side and his mouth was dry. He pulled his fingers away and let go of the hand he had been holding.  
As Seto let go of her hand, a glittering jewel fell into his lap.

"_My name is--"_

"_I'm glad I could help you--"_

"_Seto."_

Memories came rushing back. Driving into his head their importance. Of a time then and now. He had met someone in a field of flowers and later (or before) in a hot desert he had saved someone from brutality. And now he was--

Holding on to Kikyou's body. Her head in his lap and her legs across Yugi's as he shouted directions for the nearest hospital. It smelled like blood and sweat, and urine, in the car. It smelled like fear and slaughter, and defeat as well.

As it dawned on him what he had done, what he had let happen again, Seto put his head in his hands and screamed.

Out of frustration, out of rage, but really just for lost and because it was the only thing he could do for her. Kikyou hadn't asked anything of him but his protection. Protecting her, that's what he should have been doing.

He had let her down. He had let her down. But most of all he had let **her** down.

Over and over again, that cruel fate and punishment for that one moment of weakness in the far past was coming to haunt him. Memories of another life were haunting him. Memories of another disaster—another failure and another love that he couldn't protect.

This time and the past. Over and other again. No one would forgive him for it.

Yugi reached out for him and he jerked away, still screaming. His vocal cords were starting to hurt and the copper taste of blood was bubbling up in his mouth.

'This must feel like what Kikyou went through... If I die, if my speech dies, then so be it.' Was the one empty thought through his head.

Yugi, frustrated, reached out and slapped him, yelling senseless words about strength. What the hell did he know? All his little "it's the heart of the cards" and other hero crap couldn't possibly bring her back. It wouldn't stop time!

Spent, Seto slumped against the door frame of the car and gazed out the window. They were passing fields of green grass knee high. Wild flowers.

_She held up a single flower. A Kikyou flower. Looking up at him was a plead of understanding, a smile of relief and thankfulness. _

"_Your name is...Kikyou?"_

_She smiled._

The tears still wouldn't come. Not even from that one flawed memory. She hadn't smile that day, most likely it was just what his heart wanted him to see. He had brought her clothes and carried her around like a trinket. Something insignificant that can be rid of anytime. A pet of sorts. And though he had desired her, he hadn't once tasted of her or muttered a kind word. Instead he had pushed her away, denying himself and her. And yet she had given him her life.

Even if they had started out using each other, hating each other, and their relationship had been a destined mistake, it had happened and now all Seto wanted was to erase it.

"How do we tell Mokuba?"

Yugi looked over at him. In the beginning, he hadn't liked Seto. He still disliked him even when he had agreed to help. But under the shade of the night and the rising moon, with Kikyou's body between them, he looked so lost that he couldn't utter a word.

"I... Ah..."  
"I wonder if he'll be upset..."

'That faraway tone... Could he be...?' Yugi became alarmed. That same tone—it was similar to the state that his other self had been in hours before. Yugi reached over and grabbed Seto's shoulders, screaming in his face.

"Seto! Seto! Wake up! Seto!"

His movements were akin to a dog shaking a lifeless doll between its teeth. Seto's head rolled around his shoulders, hitting the car window without registering the pain.

"Yugi, stop that!" Tea shouted at him. Taking her eyes off the road to glance back at them while the rest of the passengers in the car kept their heads down. "Can't you see he's hurt?"

"Hurt? Hurt!? He's fucking insane!" Yugi screamed back. Using the F-word for the first time in his life. "He's off his rocker! Lost his marbles! I don't need another crazy person inside or outside me right now! Fuck!"

Yugi let go of Seto and settled back into his seat, adjusting Kikyou's weight so that all of it was against himself. Their fight had dropped her body. Now she was between the two of him, her head resting on her shoulders and what remained of her torso (which was barely connecting her legs to her body) wrapped in Seto's coat jacket. The jacket, like everything else, was stained crimson.

Tea put her eyes back on the road, too shocked to say anything as Yugi stared out the window with hatred in his heart. Hatred for the people that had ruined his rival, his new found friend, Yami, and the peace that had been his life.

"I don't think..."

Yugi glanced back at Seto. He hadn't moved since Yugi had hit him. "What?"

"Even if it all disappeared... I wish my memory would leave me."

Yugi gripped the millennium puzzle in his hands. It didn't have the power to ease suffering.

_--Wouldn't it be so easy if it all disappeared?--_

Seto looked up. The voice that whispered to him just now seemed to have come from the darkness of his heart, dripping of promise and a strange madness in its logic. It was his voice, yet not his voice.

The weight of gold had returned to his hand, invisible to all but him.

_--I have the power to destroy the current thread of time. I can destroy your memories of that time.--_

"Why would you do that? Who are you?"

"Seto...?" Yugi stared at him as Seto started having a conversation with the ceiling. He really was going mad.

_--I have the power to give her life and you death. This time, which was disrupted by **her** future self, _

_can be fixed by your **past** self._

_If you wish it so, I will make it so.--_

Lost, but willing, Seto glared into the darkness that surrounded him. To give his life, for her life? The classic story of a love ending with sacrifice. But what was waiting for him in his life? Until now he had filled it with useless pursuits. Following after a dream built on cards, living while dying. Nothing was in it except Mokuba, who would be better off with someone who cared more for him. There was nothing.

And then there was Kikyou. Through her he had learned companionship and how to want for something that was outside of himself. Even it it was just a few days, or one glittering night, he had held her and known peace.

And now...

Seto glanced over at Kikyou's lifeless body. Her eyes were open and glassy, reflecting the moonlight. Half of her face was cracked like a broken china doll and her mouth was open, her lips forming his name.

Now that was over. There was nothing else.

_--If you wish it. I can make it so.--_

"How?"

* * *

The first indication that something was wrong with Seto is when they had put him in the car.  
Everyone had arrived on the scene and saw a demon. A demonic version of Seto banishing a golden rod in his hand and about to, not attempting to, smash in the head of some person. 

That person had ran off and Seto, distracted by their screams, had fainted. What had been in his hands had vanished and he had been out cold for hours after.

Then came his strange behavior in the car.  
Now Seto seemed to be staring up and into nowhere. His eyes almost as glazed over as Kikyou's and his lips parted in a strange whisper that sounded like a conversation between himself and someone else that could not be seen. A strange aura was filling the car, familiar only to Yugi (and just barely familiar at that).

As the energy reached it's peak, Seto leaned over and touched Tea's shoulder. His hands were as cold as ice, and Tea would later swear (on her life and everything sacred) that what she had saw in the rear view mirror was not Seto or anything even close to Seto.  
Like a bad copy, or a eerily distorted portrait, Seto's face had seemed to blend and mix together with something not even human and not of this world.

"Stop the car."

"Wha--!?"

Tea's foot moved on it's own, slamming on the breaks and making the tires squeal.

"What the hell!? Seto--" Joey started to yell something, but one look at Seto's face and he promptly shut up.

Seto turned toward Serenity. "Open the door."  
Her face turned pale and she scrambled for the switch to release the mechanical locks on the door. Honda and Yugi were too stunned to stop him. Seto sounded like a machine.

"Thank you."

With a hint of a smile on his lips, Seto picked up Kikyou and left.

Only then did their voices return. Yugi scrambled out of the car as Tea shouted out the window.

"Seto, what are you doing? This is miles away from a hospital! Seto!"

Seto looked over his shoulder only once, Kikyou's body cradled in his hands. In the moonlight his eyes looked dead.  
'Seto is dead.' That startling sentence ran through Yugi's head as his body became frozen. Whether it was Yami holding him back that night, or fear, he would never know.

But the rival, and sometimes friend, Seto had vanished that night never to return. That was the only sane fact.  
That was all they were left with.

At 8:25 pm, Seto Kaiba, of Kaiba corp, became a missing person.

His whereabouts are still unknown.

* * *

"_Where is this place?"_

_ "Where am I? And who am I?"_

_--This is the future that you have chosen.--_

"_The future--"_

_--And the past.--_

_--"This is what we have chosen."--_

This world, and this fate, are connected.

* * *

_I wanted to tell you so many things..._

Kikyou thought, staring up at the starry night sky. It seemed that her body had died and she was just looking down at it. What a poor and pathetic thing it was. She was so tired. But just as it seemed an infinite darkness had finally taken over he, she had been pulled back.

The memories of being dead from before were gone. She could no long remember the time when she had died after pinning Inuyasha to the sacred tree and putting him to sleep. So too were the memories of being dead this time.  
But before they had vanished, she had clearly saw a light and memories from a different time. Not hers, but Seto's. Someone, long ago, had stood in the place that she now occupied. Just like he occupied Inuyasha's place.

_So many things I wanted to show you. I don't know where to begin now, or if you will even hear me..._

Then she had met someone, a woman, and they had talked of many things. What to be what, what came before, and what was now. She had had shinning golden hair and blue eyes that reminded her of Seto's and the card he always had around his neck. His favorite card and the memento from his past.

The woman had smiled and told her something. Something important.

But now it was forgotten. Something had pulled her back, but her body was unstable. It would no longer hold her soul in it's current state.

_'Why am I here if I will only cause you pain?'_

It seemed she neither had a body or a mind to think or say things with. Only the deepest thoughts of her soul were left.

_I lov--_

Her thoughts were interrupted as Seto stopped and sank to his knees with her body still cradled to his chest. His body in pain, yet he didn't cry. So proud that even now he wouldn't show her his tears.

These cold arms couldn't even embrace him. Even in this beautiful night, in these last moments of her soul, she couldn't return his embrace. Her memories were slipping away and if some dark power wasn't holding her back, she would have already passed into the next life by now.

This dark power, so dark and immense. Yet it was sad too. But too proud to let it's host cry.

Just like Seto. No matter which time, he would always be proud and stubborn. And foolish.  
So very foolish.

Her thoughts were slipping. Seto laid her down on the grass. The summer stars formed ancient constellations. They would be here even after they were dead and gone and this planet was nothing but dust and forgotten time.

He was chanting something. An ancient spell passing from his lips. They had left a trail behind. His side wound had opened up and was bleeding. Yet his voice never wavered as it chanted her name.

The name she had hated forever sounded sweet on his lips.

He leaned over her body. Now all she could see was his strong chest and the lower half of his face. His eyes were hidden from her.

"This time... This time I'll protect you."

_'You don't need to protect me. Why are men like this? Do you think we need protecting?'_ Her will was coming back. Trying to stop him. But fighting against him was like fighting the tide. He wouldn't listen to her words. He never had.

"I won't make the same mistake."

_[Don't let him make the same mistake._

That's what the woman had said. To not let him make the same mistake he had 5,000 years ago. What was that mistake?

"So live for me. Even if it's just tonight." Seto pressed his hand against the wound on his side, it was bleeding more profusely. With a grunt of pain his weight settled on to Kikyou. Now he was holding himself up with only one hand.

Gritting his teeth through the pain, he looked down into her eyes.

"Even if you won't forgive me."

The memories and the trials of another life. A life where he hadn't been able to love freely or live free. Always following someones shadow: the pharaoh, his father's, someones.

Now even if his life came to an end, her life would be her own this time. He couldn't make her human, that was impossible, and he couldn't restore her speech. But for her to live a life of her choosing, that would be bliss.

The jewel that he thought he had left in the car, was suddenly besides Kikyou. Twinkling in the moonlight it offered promises for the future.

Seto took in his last breath and placed his lips over Kikyou's. Their faces separated by mere inches as a golden light over came him. The light condensed and came out of his mouth, his soul seemed to enter hers.

_--"This is what we have chosen."--_

Seto collapsed fully on top of Kikyou. Listening to her heart beat as his beat it's last.

* * *

"I don't need you to save me." 

In a memory, Kikyou looked back over her shoulder at Inuyasha. Her face a mask of hatred.

"Don't presume to know, don't presume to know just because you're a man that I need saving. I don't need your charity. I'm not so weak as to let you save me. Why are you men all the same?"

"Kikyou!--"

"What's the point of saving me if you kill yourself!? Ever thought of that! Don't presume to know. Just because you care... Just because you love me doesn't give you the right to exist!"

Her words were contradictions. But because this was a dream she had had during her long sleep, and was now having again, it all made sense.

Then she hadn't fully comprehended the repercussions of her words, but now she could.

Kikyou sat up and rubbed her eyes. Tears laced her cheeks. The first she had shed in centuries. Her semi-human body was tired and hungry for the first time. An artificial human with a human heart and soul. Kikyou stood up and looked at the time. The clock on the wall was broken. The best shelter she had managed to find was an abandoned mansion. She had woken up and was suddenly in it, his body against her own. She hadn't left since.

"I wonder if he's hungry..." Kikyou stood up and adjusted her blouse. Her old one was ripped at the end, so she had tied it at the bottom for decency. It was barely fitting, but she refused to wear his coat.

Kikyou found a can of something and cooked it. Her taste buds weren't exactly functioning, so the gruel that she ate went down with out protest.

Kikyou used the servants stairs in the kitchen and made her way to the second floor. The ruined curtains and broken windows brought in fresh air and sunlight. Her footsteps on the rotten boards echoed as she reached the final room.

Located at the end of the hall, it offered nothing but a small desk and a tattered sheet. Yet she had laid him there on top of the desk and, like the dragon guarding beauty, she had continued to watch over him.

How long had it been? The many days and nights passing as his body did not change. It was like she had switched places with him. His body in a dead sleep and hers awake and alive.

She put a hand over her heart, the jewel in her body beat against her chest as if it was human.  
She had become the jewel. The shikon no tama, originally created within a human body, had found a home again.

Was it joy or hatred that she felt then? Kikyou didn't know. The jewel was all, but neither. It didn't seem to have any of it's former powers.

Laid out like a fallen knight, Seto stayed sleeping.

Kikyou kneeled by his side and rested her head on the desk.

"If you ever wake up, then I'll never leave. Right, Inuyasha?"

"_Don't be so weak as to presume I need saving. This is what I have chosen."_

(Chapter 9 -Black Widow- End)

* * *

**Author's Notes: **None this time. 


	10. Homecoming

**Author's Notes: **How are you folks? It's almost Christmas, and Kwanzaa, so I thought I would give you guys a little present. (Rats, I forgot Hanukkah and today is Winter Solstice).

Anyway, this is the second phase of Kikyou. I still can't think of a better title. (Rats again...)

I still want to keep the tone dark, but this time we have a switch in characters. I won't tell you guys anymore than that.

* * *

_In this time we live in, souls are not forgotten. Just displaced. _

_If you love me, call my name._

* * *

Kikyou – Chapter 9: Homecoming 

"_Call my name..."_

"--Mokuba, sir?"

Mokuba blinked and sat up. He smoothed back his unruly long hair and adjusted his tie. The view out of the window was the same city as always. On the radio were the results of the Duel Monsters World Championship.

"--And once again, Duelist King Yugi wins using the awesome combo of the Dark Magician and--"

"Turn that rubbish off."

"Yes, sir."

Mokuba leaned back in his seat and continued to stare out at the passing scene. What was this feeling of restlessness? Of a dream almost remembered?

It had been 10 years, and much had changed. Now he was the head of Kaiba Corp. And yet, everything was much the same.  
He had taken over the business as soon as his brother was announced "dead". The business world had been in an uproar. A kid take over a multi-billion dollar cooperation? A kid that didn't even know how to tie his shoes, much less how to run a business?

But Seto's death had froze Mokuba's heart. And he was no longer that "kid". He had proved that he has what it takes. Being even more ruthless than Seto had been in his prime.  
Yet, was the decision to lock away his heart and the mementos of that time a good one?

"_Don't remember. Let's just forget about it. What happened there, what occurred here...and Kikyou. Forget everything."_ No one had argued with Yami's—Atem's—decision. They had left the room that had been Kikyou's and sealed it. And inside of it they had sealed everything of that summer.  
They had went their separate ways. All promising never to remember, much less speak of, that bloody summer.  
Yet that phone call remained.  
_"Do you still remember?"_ That one sentence and that voice. The Duel King, The King of Games, the Pharaoh.

Why bring this up now? That one cryptic sentence that changed everything. Atem, who had changed since that summer and no longer dueled, had called not only him but everyone. Saying only that one cryptic sentence.

"Why now? When we have fought so hard to forget everything?"

"Kaiba, sir?"  
Mokuba sighed and looked away. "Don't call me Kaiba, that was my brother."

And the car moved on.

* * *

"_If you still remember, call my name."_

* * *

"How's it feel to be the Duelist King, Yugi? Not to mention back in Egypt." 

Yugi smiled shyly for the cameras. A smile and manner that still threw off the guards of his opponents. Hidden behind this short, shy man, was a beast.

"Well, I'm happy to be back. I've always loved Egypt and the Egyptian people. But, wow, I didn't think you all would show." Yugi smiled again and blushed from embarrassment.

What fools, people are. So easy to manipulate.

There were cries across the crowd from fans as far away as America and his home country. Shouts of "We love you Yugi!" and "I'm your biggest fan!"

Unnoticed by the crowd a man his same height, but with his hair cropped short and dyed black, slipped behind him and leaned against the window frame. The blaze of cameras cast a double shadow. A shadow as faint a a ghost and a nonexistent reflection.

A glimpse of another time.

'And this is my Egypt.' Were the thoughts thorough the man's mind. A waiter came up and offered him a drink. Delicately, he took it and offered the servant thanks in the ancient tongue.

"Pardon?"

"sigh... Thank you."

Yes, this was his Egypt. But it was not the Egypt of old.

Yugi separated himself from the crowd around him and the reporters looked else where. Hungry as vultures for the next meal.  
Side to side, they looked like twins. Except for that one was blond and the other had solid black hair.

Gone was the day of bad magenta highlights.

"Not enjoying the party, Atem?"

Atem sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Should I? I don't enjoy being here."  
"Too close to the afterlife?"

That hurt, and Yugi noticed Atem flinch away from him and the familiar set of pain on his shoulders. But he ignored it. Yugi took Atem's drink from his hand, sipping it elegantly.  
Two girls watched them and squealed. They pointed and showed off for their amusement.

"I just don't know what your problem is." Yugi sighed between sips of the martini. "I've tried everything short of throwing you to a asylum."  
"I. Know." Atem hissed out between clinched teeth. "I'm not the one with the problem. It's you."  
Yugi waved back at the girls, smile in place. He hissed back. "Wave, brother."  
"No."  
"Goddammit, so help me god I will snap the connection between us. Pick up your fucking hand and **wave**."

Atem complied.

"Good, see? That's the way to have fun."

"Damn you."

Yugi looked over his shoulder once, a cold smile on his face. What exactly was the connection between these two men? Friends? Brothers? Or something more sinister? "Yes, I know. But you see, brother, I'm already damned and loving every second of it."

Yugi walked away, Atem watched him go. Both of the girls from before hanged off his arms like trinkets.

Atem gritted his teeth in pain and slid to the floor. The crowd didn't notice his presence.  
"Shit, shit, shit." It was useless, the chant, the pull on his heart and the pain through his artificial body continued.

Why couldn't they forget that summer? But wasn't it his fault for getting them involved?

"_Call my name."_

That dream, he was the first to receive it. It was too late to save Yugi, or himself, but maybe, just maybe...

One word passed his lips.

"Kikyou."

* * *

"_If you still remember, call my name."_

_"Save me from the darkness."_

* * *

She flew higher and higher, toward the light, but still fell short. It was dangerous and reckless, and yet still she flew. 

One...two...one...two... The director's tap against the wooden boards barely reached the edge of her consciousness. So far gone was she that the images behind her painted lids blew past in a blur.

That summer...that summer...that summer. Yugi and me. And the other Yugi.

_Hands around his throat, apply more pressure. He screams and she laughs, enjoying the feel of him under her and thrust of her hips._

That summer that changed everything.

One...two...one...two...Now.

She jumped. And heaven jumped with her. Hell beneath her and heaven above. A race against time and the devil.

"That was great, Tea!"

Tea stopped and took the towel offered to her. She smiled at the younger woman behind her. The woman who admired her. In just a few short years she had become a legend on Broadway. A foreigner with the legs and grace of an angel.

"That was nothing, don't get so excited Sophie."  
"But, you're amazing! Did you see how high you jumped? Your dance moves? How fast, yet so light and graceful! I've never seen anything like it. It's out of this world!"

Out of this world indeed. That summer, they had had every wish of theirs come true. Everyone, but the price was heavy. A thousand and one nights worth, and then some.

Tea realized that she had drifted off and focused on Sophie again.

"--How can I ever dance like you?"  
Before she could stop herself, the words were already out of her mouth. Cold and emotionless. "Die."

"What? Wait, Tea!"

Tea ran across the street, the traffic light separating the two of them. "Die and be reborn as a monster."

Such was the price of a wish.

* * *

"_If you remember, call my name."_

_"Save me, take me, find me--"_

* * *

"How should we do this boys? Just like in the drills?" 

Joey nodded his head and drifted off from his commander. The area they were in was either somewhere over a war torn jungle, fighting guerrilla soldiers, or some where in the Middle East where death and the devil walked hand in hand singing nursery rhymes to the darkness.

Joey drifted off and remembered.

When Tea had won tickets to visit America, Joey had gone with her. His old man was finally dead, the bastard finally killed over after drinking his last beer and knocking the shit out of him for leaving home without permission. Like he cared. The only good thing to have ever come from that summer.

Anyway, him and Tea had had a fine time. Lots of babes, on his part, shows and action and adventure. Tea had been scouted and Joey had fallen in love with the country. Gazing up at the Statue of Liberty, he could finally understand what all those immigrants had felt long ago: freedom, a calling.

But it didn't erase that summer. Nothing did. Not fighting, not sex, not even this.

For some reason, he was the only one that couldn't forget that feeling of his life on the line, that thrill that everyone else had forgotten. And he hadn't even been hurt.

But when he had seen Seto's face, right before they stopped him from smashing in that guys head, Joey had wished to switch places with him. Wished that everyone had just let him do it.

They deserved it. Out of everyone he was the only one that had seen that summer as a blessing.

So when Tea left, he had followed. Became a citizen and enlisted. He had rose in the ranks until now he was serving his country. Another solider, a special solider.

A solider who if he didn't listen in right now would die. And no one would know.  
Because technically, he didn't exist.

Joey looked up as one of his teammates patted him on the shoulder. "You ready to go, man?"

He couldn't see him through the helmet, but the fear around him was so heavy it was giving off a stench of it's own. Joey stood up and smiled back. Saying nothing, because in his smile was enough courage for the both of them.

Who was afraid of death?  
And then there was the wind and the feeling of weightlessness. The thrill of the unknown. Of the path taken. And then the tug of the parachute and the darkness of night.  
They moved like shadows, with only hand signals and their own senses to light the way.

Who were they fighting? Did it matter? Technically, the war was over. Not that one which had started before ten years ago. No, a war of politics. That was over to the public.  
But even in times of peace, war continues. Only the public, the civilians, don't hear about it. Because they don't understand. They get frightened, pull back, and ignore.

And that was why they existed.

It happened fast, too quick to even be labeled a battle. They were infiltrating a base that seemed more like some rich home. There were screams, but Joey ignored them and went from room to room.

Kitchen.

Bathroom.

Bedroom.

Children's room.

Here he paused and looked around. It looked like his room when he was a kid. Cloud patterned wall paper and ceiling, posters from the newest bands and cartoons. Comics and toys thrown uselessly in a corner.

Joey swept the room, skirting past the twin beds. Besides for that one feature, it could have been his it was so familiar.  
And then there was pain. Little teeth bit into his ankle.  
One swift kick, and a snap, crackle and pop later and he moved on. Emotionless and swift. Asking no questions. Because some had to die. That is just the rule of the world. Without it the good people would already be dead. Leaving this world to evil.

An hour later, and with blood and a cold emotionless mask lacing his face, Joey clocked in and returned to the helicopter.

"Urgh." The man that he had met earlier before the mission threw up next to him as Joey's eyes flicked over the burning remains of the house.  
"W...Why? Why? Why?"

Joey glanced at him and then back at the burning remains.  
"I... I don't want this... I DON'T WANT TO DO THIS ANYMORE!"  
At a signal from his commander Joey turned on the pathetic excuse for a man at his feet. "Then just die."

"Wha--"

His eyes in that moment weren't even worth remembering. Not like Kikyou's.

Joey turned toward the air craft and hopped in before take off. He looked back, the view maimed by his bangs. "Some people deserve to die. Simple as that." The familiar prayer that he always said.

It was always the same. This just wasn't exciting enough to count as an experience.  
Why they killed? Which side he was fighting for? Did any of that matter? Probably not. It was the truth, he wasn't even fighting for America any more.

But did any of that matter?  
_"Call my name."_

That dream, and that voice that had changed everything.

"Kikyou..."

* * *

"_--If you love me, call my name."_

* * *

Serenity turned back to the dishes in the sink as a voice echoed in her head.  
She hadn't known Kikyou very well. Their first meeting had been in that cramped little car. But she had envied her. Seto had really loved her. But the Seto that had exited the car, the Seto she had seen, 

He had been something else entirely.  
She had finally realized what it was the last time she had seen her brother, Joey. He had smiled and went through the motions of being her brother, but--

He was not her brother. Her brother had died in the car. During that summer. During that sunset where the sun had bleed and the night when Seto had died.

And now Serenity was here. With Honda.

"Hey mom, can we watch tv?"  
Serenity looked down at her son and smiled. "Sure, go ahead honey, but you'll wake the baby if you turn it up too loud."  
Her son smiled back. "Yeah, I know. But the Duel Monsters World Championship is on!"

Serenity smiled. Somehow, he reminded her more of her brother than Honda. Before everything had happened. Before everything had turned so horribly wrong.

That summer. The stench of blood and the sound of cicadas wouldn't fade away.

Serenity turned back to the dishes as her husband walked through the door.

"Man, what a day! How are you and the kids?"  
Honda kissed her on the cheek and Serenity smiled back. A true smile. This was her life now.

"Everyone's fine. Oh, the school called. They want to know if you're serious about hosting the little league game this summer."  
Summer. That summer.

Honda made a face. "Again? I said I would, didn't I? Unless they want that bastard that hosted it last year to."  
"Honda, the children."  
Honda turned to his son, who was sitting too close to the tv again. Sigh.  
"Hey, Shuichi knows what a bastard is. Don't ya son?"  
"Yep, eggplant."  
The two of them laughed at their joke and Serenity turned back to the dishes. In the reflection of the window she frowned.  
That dream...

"_Call my name."_

...Surely Honda had had it too. How best to bring it up? And that phone call...

"_Do you remember?"_

Serenity gripped the plate a little too hard and it cracked.  
No, she wouldn't remember! All of this would go away if she just didn't remember it. Her brother, that summer, everything.

Everything would be all right.

"Serenity? You okay?" Honda was by her side. Concerned. She had broken the plate without realizing it. Her hand was cut, but that would heal.  
The blood dripped from her hand and swam like little fish down to the bottom where they greedily consumed the water.

"Yes, everything will be alright."  
And it would.

* * *

"_--Don't forget me."_

_"Call me. If you love me, call me."_

* * *

"Yeah, I'll be there at seven. No, we'll talk about it then." 

Mai sighed and hanged up the phone. She had cut her hair a week ago. The curls at the base of her neck and the long strands of hair that covered up her right eye, in the new sexy popular style, blew in the wind coming in from the broken shards of glass of the telephone booth.

In this day and age... Sigh, she was getting old. Why didn't she just get a cell phone?  
Older yes, but still the same. When it came to her body anyway.

Her hips, bust, and legs could still tempt any man. That's how she had shacked up with another loser.

Married men. She felt sorry more for them than the women they were married to. This time would be the last time she would fall for a man in a suit. How best to break it off...

When Atem had declared that they would forget everything, they did. For awhile. And then they remembered again. But they were granted what their hearts desired.

All except her. She refused it. Mai ran away from a good man, and a good career, and a good life. She left her cards behind and packed up and left everything. She traveled, received news that the man she was engaged to had found another and could not cry over it. It was her choice.

She would not take blood money from that affair. Never.

She had met Kikyou in the back of a car and learned that a man could do more than take. He could destroy.

Mai had turned from the edge of a dream into a nightmare.

"Why? Why do we have to forget, just to remember?"

From that phone call Mai had chased after Atem and met him the night before he was to leave for Egypt.

The sight of him had took her breath away. Not because he was still handsome, or because he had a body of his own, but the change in him. The loss of spirit.  
Out of everyone, even Seto, he was probably the most damaged from the affair.  
In that small, high class, hotel room he had laughed bitterly. Not at her, but at himself.

"Why indeed? Maybe because it is time."  
"Time?"

"To remember." Atem turned from her to the window over looking Tokyo. His reflection could not be seen, his shadow flickering like a candle flame. "To remember everything. The sins we can not erase."  
"What sins?" Mai had shouted back. "Sins of what? We tried! We couldn't save her! We were children! What were we suppose to do?" Her voice left on the last words, tired of fighting him.  
"I don't know. Maybe we are being punished." Atem took the words straight from her mouth. The words in her heart.

"What... Happened to you?"  
He turned from the window then and smiled once more. It was painful, like looking at the aftermath of an accident. Horrible, yet strangely alluring.  
"That summer."

For some reason, that broken look in his eyes drew her in. They were the worst couple, horribly mixed matched. But she tried, she tried in that room with the lights blazing like the sun and the 24 karat gold chandelier, to change him. Even for a moment.

But he had had all the passionate response of a porcelain doll. And kissing him was akin to kissing the dead.

He had shunned her touch, but hadn't broken away. Just that painful mewing, like a kitten being crushed.

"Mai... Ah... Stop..._Please_. Don't (sob)."

Damn you, Atem. She turned away from that memory. Maybe she had forced him. But that helplessness had just spurred her on.  
In the end, in the darkness before morning, he had backed away from her to the edge of the bed. Just a little ball with black tufts of hair.

"That summer. Do you remember anything from it?" His voice so small and weak, as if she had taken his soul and not just his body.  
Like a cliché, Mai lit a cigarette and leaned against the bed frame. Arms covering her naked breasts. "Like what?"  
"Anything."  
"You and that summer... Atem."  
His shoulders tensed as she turned the use of his name into a command.  
"I remember you. Isn't that enough?"  
"The me of before that summer or during it?"  
His question silenced her. She couldn't remember either. Just the him of now. The small man turning away from her with broken eyes and a broken voice. Chained and bound to a man that did not love him. Trapped now by a woman who--

What? Wanted to save him? She who was drowning herself?

"The blind leading the blind."  
"What?"

Mai had turned then and bridged the distance between them, dragging him closer despite his protest and petting his head in a gesture of comfort. They were silent then, and he fell asleep on her shoulder with his arms encircling her waist.

How small, that gesture of kindness, yet it meant everything to her.  
Men. They broke and trapped you. They took until nothing was left. And woman let them and asked nothing in return except for a promise and the one thing they could never hope to have:

Their heart. Even then Atem's heart was far away. Somewhere where Mai couldn't reach it. Still couldn't.

Mai opened another pack of cigarettes and smoked one while watching the sunset. She leaned against the broken telephone booth and expelled the smoke from her lips in one smooth, unbroken chain.

"Yeah, I remember. Call you, right?"  
_"Call me--"_

"I remember! But I'm not doing it for you, I'm doing it for him. Alright?"

Mai crushed the cigarette bud with her heel and walked away into the night.

* * *

"_Call me. Now."_

* * *

These seven people. Seven lives, different yet inexplicably linked by one word, one command, and one person. In ten years they had changed so much.  
Were they happy? Did they love?  
Did anyone?  
And the cycle begins again. 

--Ten years ago--

Atem stood overlooking the buildings below, standing on Kikyou's balcony. Clenched in his fist was the Millennium Puzzle. A struggle just to stay awake, just to stay sane, let alone cry.

The humiliation, the pain, everything was just too much. But with Seto, might as well say it, dead and Kikyou gone he was the leader for the moment.

"Yugi?"  
From Tea's voice, Atem's shoulders set in a movement that would be forever associated with pain, even ten years from now when the real Yugi would use that pain against him.

"Forget... We have to forget everything."

It was the only way. The best way.

Tea seemed to be the only one that would speak to him. Everyone else looked away. And why not? After what had transpired between him, her, and Yugi?

The act that Yugi held against him, what he held against himself.

The hatred that would grow into a flame ten years from now would consume them both.

Atem closed his eyes, the weight of the puzzle heavy in his hands. His curse, now and forever. He couldn't face the afterlife anymore. Not like this.

"Forget. Don't remember. Lets just forget about it. What happened there, what occurred here...and Kikyou. Forget everything."

No one spoke, not even Tea. But the sentence was passed. In the light of dawn—or was it sunset? He could never remember—they had agreed to that promise.

"Forget." Serenity.

"Forget." Honda.

"Forget." Mai. So forth and forth from every person.

All eyes rested on Mokuba. He clutched in his hands one of Seto's deck. The Sarcophagus of Sealing.

They would seal away their memories.

It was unclear who had spoke. Maybe it was Yugi from within him, using his voice. Maybe it was someone else. He still did not know, could only guess.  
Regardless the voice came and forced the boy to make a choice, a choice which would change him. Forever.  
"**Mokuba**."

"F...For...Forget."

Atem nodded, back in control again. "Forget."  
And they had left that room and its sins and regrets, its promises and memories, behind. Locking it away forever.

Now Mokuba had opened that door. Now Kikyou was calling them to not forget her, or that day.  
The seal was broken.

"Atem?"  
Atem looked up and opened his eyes slowly. They were on a plane back to Japan. He knew where everyone was, what they were doing, and how they felt about this moment. But he didn't care. And neither did Kikyou. Whether they liked it or not, they would be forced into one more battle.

'Joey, Honda, Mokuba, Serenity...Mai. My friends, we can't escape from this. I was wrong.'  
You can't forget a horror, a experience, so terrible that to forget it would be a sin itself.

"Atem? Earth to Atem?"

For the first time in a while, Yugi looked at him with real concern.  
Atem flinched away from the open hand brushing against his cheek and looked away from Yugi's worried eyes. Dammit. Even now the pain was still so deep.  
But his heart was still. Maybe now, in the days to come, he would face death.  
What a blessing that would be.

Yugi turned away with disgust and looked out the window of the jet. "Hey, from here you can see Tokyo Tower. Welcome home."  
Yes, welcome home.

Atem turned and closed his eyes. "Yes. Welcome home."

(End of Chapter Ten)

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Is this even PG-13 anymore? XD Seriously, I'm starting to wonder. I was also wondering why you all like this story. It wasn't one of my bests until this chapter. I just love it to pieces. My favorite part is when Yugi and Atem are introduced and Mai remembers Atem. I never even considered those two as a couple until now. XD 

Well, anyway, in the days to come it will mainly focus on Mokuba.  
I know you guys never get my movie trivia questions. But, and I know people have seen this horror movie (and no, it's not Scream), what horror movie made from a book does this chapter remind you of? It was unintentional, yet it still ended up this way. -.-

See ya next chapter.


	11. Wakeup Call

**Author's Notes: **Anyway, back to the story. I know it's been a long time since I've updated this, but the wait is over, you can all breath.

For this chapter, I hope you all are up to date with your Inuyasha knowledge, you're going to need it to figure out the identity of the bad guy introduced.

Also, one more thing, I'm glad someone finally responded to my question!

Now for the answer to the last question... It's "IT"! Yes, it's Stephen King's "IT"! Remember how in the book/movie the main characters were called back to their hometown and the promise they made long ago by a phone call? And remember when they all made that promise? I wasn't planning to write it like that, but it came out similar to the scenario in "IT". If you haven't read the book, please do! It's excellent and should definitely be on your summer reading list.

Sorry for the long AN, please enjoy the chapter.

Disclaimer: Haven't seen one of these in a long time, huh? I don't own anything. Only the plot and any original characters connected to it. Thank you.

* * *

Kikyou – Chapter 11: Wake-up Call

The sunlight streaming through the window panes is too bright, Kikyou sat up and rubbed her eyes with her shirt sleeve. How many days had she been here? Or, more accurately, how many years had passed?  
Even though she is now alive, independent and without the jewel or souls, she is still bound to someone. Nothing had changed. In some ways it is like being the priestess of the Shikon no Tama all over again, having something to protect. Except this time the person she is protecting is not a burden.

And of course, she still could not speak. To Seto anyway. And she is not human either. A real human would age or wouldn't be able to hibernate.  
_'If Seto is sleeping, I want to sleep too.'_ Kikyou closed her eyes and squeezed Seto's lifeless hand. Somehow, he hadn't aged either. His body refuses to age or decompose. As if he is sleeping, he laid still, bathed in sunlight and dust.

Kikyou leaned over him and wiped away the cobwebs that had settled over the both of them. Something had woken her up. Someone was calling her in a voice she barely recognized...

Could it be her own voice?  
Kikyou was startled out her thoughts by the racket outside. A construction crew was coming to take down the abandoned building her and Seto are staying in and replacing the old building with new apartments. Maybe it was that and not the mysterious voice she imagined.

Instead of panicking, Kikyou paced in front of the window and peeked out at the workers, counting their number. Suddenly a familiar face and shade of hair stood out of the crowd.

"Inuyasha?"

Kikyou, momentarily forgetting Seto in her excitement, ran down the stairs and burst through the door, managing to frighten several demolition experts in the process.

"I thought you said this building was uninhabited!" One of the men cried as Kikyou ran toward Inuyasha and embraced him before he could even see who she was.

"Inuyasha, I thought I would never see you again!"

He was thinner, and his hair was shorter, but Kikyou would recognize him anywhere. He even smelled the same, even in modern clothes he still managed to smell like the wild. A combination of pine trees and smoke from campfires. It made her cry to think of the last time she had embraced him like this. And, now, after all those years of being asleep and dreaming of revenge she now knew what Inuyasha had gone through. What an emotional wreck it must have made him! To be betrayed, fall into a deep sleep, and wake up in another time with no family or friends from the previous age to greet you. Nothing familiar and suddenly confronted with both the past and the present. Not to mention a new love interest...

Kikyou blocked out the memories of Seto and focused on Inuyasha as horror washed over his face from recognition of her.

"K...Kikyou... How?"

"Inuyasha, it's okay. I forgive you. You and Kagome. If it hadn't been for the both of you I would have never met—"  
One of the workers, startled by Kikyou's sudden appearance, finally spoke up, "Wait a minute, you know this crazy woman?"

"Get out of here!" Inuyasha growled, venom in his voice. Everyone around him jumped back, as if they were expecting to be attacked by a wild dog at any moment.

"Ok... Okay, if you're paying for it, whatever." The group mumbled and let them be. Inuyasha took Kikyou by the elbow and pulled her into the house.  
"What are you doing here? How did you escape?"

They were in the parlor. Among the ruined wallpaper and plaster Kikyou suddenly realized how much older Inuyasha had become. The boy she had known was gone. There was lines around his face that hadn't been there before and a sorrow that Kikyou had never seen before. She suddenly remember the paintings she had seen at the museum.

"I didn't know that you are not only a talented artist, but also a construction worker."  
Inuyasha, who was about to ask more questions, closed his mouth and just stared at Kikyou, his eyes mellow gold in the dull light.

Quietly, as if not to wake someone, Inuyasha replied, "...That was a long time ago."  
Yeah, a long time ago. When they were young.

There was so much, so much they didn't know about each other. So much they had never told each other. One part of her wanted to jump into his arms and never let go, say that they could forget the past and move on together. But another part of her knows that is impossible. So, whispering as well so as not to wake the half of her heart that still clings on to old dreams, Kikyou said:

"It was a long time. And now we are awake."

It's silent. Outside there is the music of birds, inside only the old house settling. And distantly...

"Seto. I have Seto now."

...There is the sound of breathing, deep breathing.

"Wha—Who?"

Kikyou looked up at Inuyasha. This was the man that could help her. This was the reason she had been sent forward into the future.  
"I need your help."

* * *

"It's been a long time. I don't even recognize you anymore, Kagome!"  
Kagome looked up from her paper work and up at one of her old school friends.  
"It has been a long time, hasn't it?"  
There wasn't a day that went by that she didn't regret what she did. It was selfish to think of only herself, and her suffering. What Inuyasha went through was probably more than Kagome could ever imagine.

And yet, there was bills to be paid. The shrine didn't pay for itself. And her brother's collage fund, now that he was living in the dorms she needed to find a new job since she had lost an extra pair of hands.  
Also, there was the baby. Ai. Her and Inuyasha's child.

"Kagome? What's wrong?"  
"Nothing, it's just been a long day is all."  
"Well, I have to go. See you later?"

"Yeah, sure," Kagome replied. She watched her friend leave, then turned toward the invoices at her feet. Sighing, she picked up the box of letters and headed inside.  
A shadow fell across her, Kagome looked up and dropped the box. Gold eyes in the dark glared at her.

"Are those contacts? It's been a long time."  
The figure stood up. From the tv opera music, turned down low so as not to wake the baby. "It has been a long time. And yes, they are contacts. Everything on this body is new."  
Kagome nodded. Three in the kitchen, two on the stairs... And him.

No, **her**.

"It suits you, that new body."  
"You took my revenge away from me."  
Kagome watched and held her breath as her visitor reached out one clawed hand and stroked Ai's cheek.  
"Don't touch her!"

"You will help me, yes?"

Kagome closed her eyes, on the verge of tears. "Yes."

And as suddenly as they appeared they were gone.

(End of Chapter 11)

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Awhile back, I remember some reviewers asking about if Kikyou would meet Inuyasha again. Well, now she has. :) I don't hate Kagome as much as I used to, but I still don't like her character. Especially in the English dub. I know that the voice actress they had for Kagome is probably a nice person, but Kagome's voice is so whiny! I can't stand it. The manga is so long, that I stopped reading it. So I haven't finished it. I think I'll go back someday. But I still have enough Inuyasha knowledge to make fan fiction. Don't spoil the ending for me by the way.

I really rushed to get this chapter out, so I'm sorry if there are any really bad spelling or grammar errors. Thanks for reading.

edit: In the first part, I wrote "she can not speak", yet Kikyou talks to Inuyasha. I changed it to "she can not speak... To Seto anyway", so Kikyou can now speak as well. Sorry if it confused anyone.


	12. First Kiss

**Author's Note:**

Also, with my other stories (in case anyone reads though), I'm trying to finish Darkness as we speak. Also I have two collections of one-shots for Kingdom Hearts and Sailor Moon crossover fans, _Rose Garden_ and _Boy's Club_. So check them out. Also, for the latter title, there is a hint of smut in it so be warned people younger than 18 (not that anyone listens to these warnings).

As for _KH: Soul Taker_, or _Fairytale_, everyone that used to read that title dropped it from their watch list. What's with that? It's not dead, I've just started a new version with a completely different ending. I will finish the original (and post up the one-shots connected to it on my site if anyone shows interest in either my site or KHST, since I've lost interest in both). My other stories will be finished in a timely manner, including _Four Seasons_, which is nearing it's end after two more seasons and a bonus chapter. Which sounds long, but isn't.

I also... I know you guys are going to kill me for this one... But after this chapter I'm going to have to crack the books when it comes to Inuyasha knowledge. Look out Wikipedia, here I come! Seriously, I haven't watched the anime in ages or read the manga. I am so behind when it comes to Inuyasha and there is no way I have the time to finish either. So that's why I haven't been able to update lately. "Four Seasons" is not affected by this, but I need to do some research for my villain for this story. Sorry if this disappoints anyone, but even fan fiction needs research. "Darkness" is also not affected by this either.

Disclaimer: Haven't seen one of these in a long time, huh? I don't own anything. Only the plot and any original characters connected to it. Thank you.

* * *

Kikyou – Chapter 12: First Kiss

My brother was a man of power that wouldn't let anything get in his way. So too must I become.

Mokuba shuffled the papers in front of him and left the office for the day. The sunset behind him illuminated his profile. Like it illuminated Yugi's other self, Atem, that day. The day Atem had made him promise.

Silly man, a promise once made cannot be broken. While he missed his brother he did not want to dig up the past.

All except Kikyou. His first love.

Even now the pain of her lost ripped at his heart. He couldn't believe it at first when they had told him that both his brother and Kikyou were dead.

Sorrow and guilt mingled together. Because throughout it all he had been relieved. Relieved that Seto had died. That he was no longer his burden.

And that he no longer had to see him and Kikyou together.

Mokuba cleaned up the office and left without a look back. He had been a child then, and had thought like a child, nothing more than a child's jealousy.

But if Kikyou had lived, who knows what could have happened? Even if she had been immortal and a ghost, he had loved her.

Mokuba picked up his keys in the same tray Seto had on that day long ago, the same expression of longing and his life missing something filling him. Something was out of place, summer was here yet the air was cool. Mokuba ignored this and headed for the park.

The park where everything had began.

The tree was still there, the same as always. It's foliage turning a darker shade of green due to the changing of the seasons. Mokuba always came here when ever he had free time.

In many ways he was like his brother now, but he could never be him. Mokuba was shorter, his shoulders were narrower and he wore business suits, unlike Seto who had never wore a suit in his life. Mokuba didn't have the passion to duel like his brother had had and his heart was distant and frozen not from hated and loneliness but from sorrow and loss. Not wanting to experience it again he distanced himself from others.

Reaching out, Mokuba brushed his finger tips against the scars left by the vines that had held Kikyou. The place that she had laid was smooth and still faintly warm, as if she would return again.

Only here could he be his true self, Mokuba leaned against the tree and brushed his lips against it. What would have happened if he had discovered this place earlier, if he had awoken Kikyou and not his older brother?

"What are you doing?"

A girl's voice shocked him out of his memories. Alarmed, Mokuba turned around, lips already forming an excuse.

The girl's gray eyes made his words leave his throat.  
She was shorter than him, and had her black hair pulled back into a pony tail. Her cheeks and wide eyes still made her look like a child, but her body was anything but. She seemed to be as shocked as him, yet something in her expression seemed odd.

"Are you here to visit this grave too? I thought I was the only one that knew about it."  
"Grave?"

The girl nodded. "I don't know for sure, but it seems that way to me. So sad...so tragic. It's just like her to leave a terrible memory."  
Before Mokuba could respond the girl looked up at him and smiled.  
"My name is Sayo."

* * *

"That girl, can she really do anything, her with the same hatred as Kikyou?"

An ominous voice stirred the air in a corner hidden by darkness. In the background classical music could be heard playing, a soprano stretching his voice through the shadows.

"Yes, my lord." A servant replied. His garb a hood, like the ones that had been a menace to the city ten years back.

"Humph, an aging harlot, a dancer, a fallen pharaoh, a gaming king, a thug, a salary man and a housewife are all that oppose me?"  
"Don't forget the boy, my liege." The servant replied. "He could be a serious threat."  
The darkness hissed back. "A _**threat**_? Are you forgetting something? He does not have the same powers as his brother. As far as I am concerned he is nonexistent. But the others... There is still power there. Leave it to that bitch to have one ace up her sleeve. Just like she did with the Shikon no Tama..."

Was that fondness in his—no **her**—voice?

"The jewel is her life support, it exists and so does she. Somewhere. She can't hide from me forever. My appearance may have changed, but we are still drawn to each other. Her and I."

The servant bowed and left as the record skipped, playing the same song over and over again.

Just like their fate.

* * *

"Ha... Ha... Stop... St-stop it..."  
In another dark corner a duelist sat swishing wine in his glass between the fingers of his left hand and staring out at the sky at sunset. His right hand idly shuffled cards.

"_What a boring little town,"_ were his thoughts while behind him the creak of a bed and the giggle of woman's voices filled the small hotel room.

"Come on, Yugi, why don't you join us?"  
"Yeah, don't sit over there..."  
"I'm sure your **brother** would like it too..."

Of course they weren't related, his partner and him, but they shared a bond. It was his request that had stopped Atem from crossing over. His request and a promise.

A promise... Yugi gritted his teeth. No matter how he wished to forget, Atem kept digging it up! And now this plan to get him to come back here. Atem had used up his last ounce of good will getting him to come back here.

"Yugi..." Atem grasped the tail ends of his coat, and with a tsk of disgust Yugi stood up and walked toward the windows to take in more of the view and observe the play on the bed.

"AH!"  
Yugi closed his eyes as Atem's screams filled his ears. The wine wasn't helping...

"You're such a pervert, Yugi. If everyone knew what was going on behind that sweet face of yours... Hey, what do you think, cutie? Now don't do that, don't shy away from your big sister here..."  
Yugi turned around and threw his wine glass at the woman as she reached for Atem, the other two flinched away.  
"Shut up," he hissed. "Just do what I payed you for."  
"Yugi..."  
"**Shut. Up**."

Had his "partner" been so naïve as to think he would save him? As Atem was pinned down once more Yugi leaned down to look into his eyes.

"_I hated you," _were his next thoughts. He had hated him for such a long time. He had wanted to **be** him for such a long time. The one everyone always turned to, the one Tea loved, the popular one. The one who had won all his battles for him.

"_Well, not this time. This time I'm the one pulling the strings."_

Ignoring Atem's pain as one of the women straddled him Yugi pulled his head back till their eyes met.

Their eyes... So similar, yet different. Pain, sorrow and loss, fear yes, but no anger. No hatred. Not for him.

Just pity.

Yugi looked up at the woman he had paid to rape Atem in front of him. Paid her because the act was close to what Tea had done to him, to them. The strangulation, the darkness and horror, and the pain of that night re-imprinting themselves on his heart to get him to talk.

"Ah!.... Stop... Please..."

"Why? You didn't mind Tea, you didn't mind Mai either. Tell me, brother, how did it feel like to fuck her?"  
Finally a new expression in his eyes. Finally the anger. But hurt overlapped it and Yugi looked away as the woman on top of him leaned back, moving her hips up and then expertly down at the right moment to make him moan.

Yugi watched impassively, one of the other women stroked his shoulder.

This was his right, his penalty game. Every since that night he had claimed the right to be the true King of Shadow Games.

"Why don't you tell me the truth? The truth about what you've been doing and the dreams. Who are you meeting tomorrow? What do the dreams mean, is it Kikyou calling or Seto? Tell me."  
"I... Ah, no, not there... Ha..."  
Yugi reached out and grasped Atem's chin roughly. "**Tell me.**"

And yes, finally the defiance. "...Why don't you ask yourself? Don't you already know?"  
SLAP!

"Bastard... After everything... After everything I've done for you!"  
"Everything you've done has been for yourself!" Atem shouted back as the woman on top of him was finally spent. Her weight settled across him, yet his undead body remained cold. "You've never done anything for me! It's always been about you!"  
"Yes," Yugi responded coldly. "Just like when we were connected and you were always in control."  
Atem looked stricken, overcome by emotion for a second. It almost seemed like the anger was coming back, his old self. The self Yugi had depended on before he had become easily broken, before this new, weak self could develop.

But then the hurt and the guilt and sorrow and pain set in. "Gods... Why do you hate me?"  
Before he could stop himself, Yugi reached out and wrapped his hands around Atem's throat.

"Don't swear, brother, it doesn't become you. Besides, what can any god do to us that I haven't already done to you—am going to do to you? Now, tell me."

"Yugi... I don't think you should..." One of the other women reached out for him.

"Be quiet and leave us alone!" Yugi shouted back. Seeing the murder in his eyes they fled.  
Yugi turned back to Atem. "Now, tell me."  
Either he had applied too much pressure, or Atem had blacked out, either way when Yugi turned back to look at him his face had turned blue and his breathing was ragged.

Letting go, a mixture of surprise and worry on his face, Yugi leaned forward and placed his lips on Atem's.

Seconds turned to minutes, and then life returned.

"Atem... Don't scare me like that..."  
"Yugi..."  
_"Why, do I hate you? Why can't I let you go? Maybe,"_ Yugi thought. _"Maybe I hate you because I hate myself, the weak me that depends on you even now. Why wasn't it me instead of you that died?"_

Instead of voicing this Yugi straddled Atem and pinned him down before he could move to leave him. "I'm going with you to the airport tomorrow. What ever you're hiding I'll find it, and when I do—"  
"You'll punish me thoroughly. I know."  
Atem reached out and brushed back some of Yugi's hair. The pity had returned. And with it the dying embers of hatred in Yugi's heart.

"I always knew that someday the tables would turn. I'll accept any punishment as long as I can remain by your side."

* * *

At the airport, Tea looked around for the person that was suppose to meet her. It had been years since she had last saw her homeland and her home town. Nothing had really changed. Nothing except that the man of the hour and the one in all the business newspapers was not Seto, but Mokuba. Mokuba had changed as much as she. At least Tea was willing to try to forget and forgive, move on. Mokuba refused to leave and continued to run things as if he was his brother. No, in some ways he was much crueler than Seto could ever be. The rumors Tea had heard about him and his ruthless business tactics in America were not favorable.

Where was the boy she had known, had he even existed? But then again, what had Tea expected? It was a harsh world out there, especially for orphans with no one to depend upon.

Today she was not meeting Mokuba however, but Joey.

"Hey, Tea!"

A voice calling her name, and in English no less, and a person dressed in ridiculously baggy fatigues drew her eye toward a bearded, blond long haired man in a headband holding a home made sign with her name on it.

"Joey? Joey Wheeler?"  
Joey gave her wink and gallantly took her bags as Tea and him exited the airport. "Yep, it's me. Shocking, huh, how handsome I've become and everything?"

"Actually, I almost thought you were a hobo."

"How could you mistake this handsome face for a hobo? What, has being in New York made you too sophisticated to hang out with common folk?"

Tea grinned at Joey's antics as they pulled up to the hotel she had made reservations at. "Actually, both yes and no. But I'll always keep my schedule free for you."  
"Careful now, or I'll think you've fell in love with me or somethin'."

Tea had her bags taken up to her room and then her and Joey took a seat at the hotel's lavish bar and sipped at the drinks they had ordered. Both of them tried to ignore the reason for their visit.

"So... You're a solider now?"  
A shadow passed over his face, and then instantly vanished as if it had never been there in the first place. "Mercenary actually. I don't do well when it comes to orders, but then you know that? After all the times I've had my ass busted at home and school I should be shitting hamburger."

Tea laughed. "Yeah, but then that would make you a fry cook and a butcher. A perfect occupation for someone as messy and sloppy as you."

Joey winked. "Only if you're eating am I cooking."

Tea pushed him playfully and glared at him. "You never change. So... Is Kikyou back?"

Another shadow passed over his face, and stayed there. "I don't know. But something tells me she is. Even before Atem called me, I knew."  
Tea nodded. "Yeah, I had the same feeling. Like something had come back. Something evil. But it's not Kikyou. This is something else."

"But it is still connected to her. That's how we got in this mess in the first place." A voice from another table interrupted them. Joey and Tea looked over to see Mai waving them over with her glass of ice tea in one hand and a cigarette in the other.

"Mai! Since when have you been back?"  
"Since I divorced my second husband. No, I've been here a lot longer than you two have. I think its time we paid "the king" a visit."

* * *

Mokuba examined the girl, no young woman, at his side. He was surprised that there was someone else that knew about his spot. **Their** spot. And here Mokuba had thought it was protected by a barrier. It seemed his theory had just been proven false.

Sayo continued swinging from her swing, precariously balanced on top of the board and swinging standing up. Her pony tail reminded him of Kikyou, so did her silence.

"You said back there that it reminded you of someone's grave?"

Sayo swung past him, her words reaching his ears in two parts. "No. I said it reminded me of **a** grave. Not **somebody's** grave."  
Mokuba was ready to argue when he glimpsed Sayo's slender legs under her skirt as she swung past him once more. Mokuba blushed and looked away. After meeting each other Mokuba couldn't seem to detach himself away from the lovely young woman. She had asked him if he liked ice cream or frozen yogurt, a harmless out of the blue question after their meeting, and the two of them had ended up buying ice cream. Even though it looked completely ridiculous for a man in a business suit and a woman dressed for a day in the park to swing on swings like toddlers and eat melting ice cream.  
At the top of a particularly high swing, Sayo jumped off and into the sand at his feet with an exaggerated Olympic gymnastic pose. She turned to first to the right, then to the left, before facing him while hissing to simulate a crowd all the while.

Mokuba, for the first time in a long time, laughed. He was having fun, something he hadn't had in a long while. With her he could forget everything, if only for a moment.

Sayo laughed along with him and then, catching Mokuba off guard, she grasped the chain on either side of his head and kissed him tenderly.

Birds chirped in a nearby tree, a couple of children laughed and ran past and teased them, a bell chimed and the world was perfectly still and perfect for one single moment.  
It hadn't been a deep kiss, nor had it been passionate, but the simple action of pressing lips to lips imprinted itself in his brain and heart so that Mokuba was speechless as Sayo leaned back and took his melting ice cream out of his hands before it could ruin his suit. Sayo then pulled a few stray stands of hair behind her ears and threw away the rest of their dessert before turning back to him and saying:

"I like you Mokuba. Can I see you tomorrow?"

Mokuba knew he should have refused her, deep down he knew, but the kiss was still between them. The warmth of her lips, the sweetness of her breath and the taste of her lips as well (vanilla) still lingered. And before he knew it he ended up answering her with a: "Yes."

Sayo waved good bye and pranced away as Mokuba exited the park in his limo. The driver absentmindedly asked him if he had enjoyed himself before discussing his schedule for the rest of tonight and tomorrow.

"_I like you Mokuba. Can I see you tomorrow?"_ Her innocent words played over and over in his head. For the first time in his life Mokuba blushed and touched his lips. So that was what a "first kiss" felt like? That gentle feeling...

"Mokuba, sir?"

"Wha—What is it?"  
"Nothing. We will be arriving shortly."

Mokuba looked out the window at the setting sun and smiled to himself. Yes, tomorrow he would come back here and find her. He would see her again.

For once facing the night didn't seem so bad.

Neither he or his driver noticed the passengers of the vehicle that passed him, a raven haired girl in red and white and a platinum haired young man with amber eyes.

None of them, not the girl, the young man, or Mokuba, noticed the evil presence that clung to the shadows and watched all.

(End of Chapter 12)

* * *

**Author's Note:** Sorry for the late release folks! I know I have no excuse, but an update is better than nothing at all. I still have half of my summer left and I'm feeling real bad about wasting the first half and not updating or writing anything) so I'll try harder to update my fan fiction. But I can't promise anything. Same with the stuff in the notes at the beginning. I am working on everything I have said I will so far, but it's a challenge right now. I hope everyone will continue to be so understanding.

And to the reviewers that are worried about Seto... HE WILL AWAKE NEXT CHAPTER! This I promise you. Next chapter will switch back to Kikyou, Seto, Inuyasha and Kagome and reveal the identity of the woman/demon haunting them.

Thank you for reading this chapter.


End file.
